


Home For Misfits

by LoudenSwainfangirl



Series: Misfits [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Bar Fic, Chuck is adorable, F/M, Fluffy love story, Gen, Het Sex, Mention of past drug overdose non character death, Mention of past non character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 06:10:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10825389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudenSwainfangirl/pseuds/LoudenSwainfangirl
Summary: Chuck needed a fluffy love story.Chuck Shurley shuffles into a small bar with a serious case of writers block. Not only will he find his story, he will find the home he didn't know he was searching for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out longer than I had planned. I love Chuck so I wrote him a love story as a birthday gift to myself.
> 
> Thank you tricia_16 for cleaning up my messy punctuation!

Kim Buckmaster hits the light switch with a flick of her finger and watches as the low wattage light washes over the room. She marvels that the swell of pride she feels when opening her bar ceases to lessen as the years go by.

She begins her opening routine while humming to herself. Starting behind the cherry finished bar with its stools tucked neatly in a semi-circle, she checks the ice supply, stocks the garnish containers, updates the inventory order and stacks the glasses left to dry from the night before.

Next she hits the power button on the digital jukebox, pulls the chairs off the small scattering of round tables in the middle of the room and finishes by skirting around the pool table to turn on the neon _Come On In_ sign hanging in the front window.

The bare bones of her establishment aren't all that unique. It's the sense of home she has worked to create that's the source of Kim’s pride. Having been orphaned at the age of four, Kim bounced from one foster home to the next. It wasn’t that she was a bad kid. She was always polite to each family, never considered drugs, never felt the need to rebel; it was more akin to the fact she was a wall flower. Never felt important enough to make herself be seen, preferring to blend in with the crowd.

It wasn’t until she was older that she realized what she was missing out on. She wanted a place where _everyone_ felt welcome. A place safe from judgement, a place to kick back and relax.

It surprised Kim at how little time it took for word to spread regarding the little hole in the wall bar. Kim considers many of the customers, and her small handful of employees, her family. She smiles when a few of those regulars begin to trickle in for lunch.

Moments later, Kim braces her hands on the bar, and leans her upper body towards one of those current regulars, perched on a stool “What’ll it be today, Kevin?”

“A burger and fries with a coke," he answers quietly.

Kim returns from putting Kevin’s order in, sets his coke down and asks “How's your class load this semester? I hope you allow yourself a little room for fun. You can’t fill up every day with studying and playing your cello."

Kevin’s face breaks out into a smile, “You can quit nagging me, I get that enough at home. Yes, to answer your question, this semester I've signed up for a few linguistics courses. I’ll see where they take me, I need to declare my major next semester. Hey," he cries as he takes another liok at Kim, "you changed your color, I like it."

Kevin is referring to Kim’s hair color. Her shoulder length hair frames her round face in shaggy layers. The top layers are jet black in color, the bottom layer changes color frequently. The current being a vibrant purple. “Thanks."

A beam of sunshine streaks across the bar when the front door opens. Kim continues her conversation with Kevin but lifts her eyes to watch the man as he stutter steps in, narrowly missing the door as it swings shut because he's halted his footsteps. He seems unsure of how to proceed.

“Hi there. Come on in, promise we don’t bite…hard." He doesn’t seem to appreciate her joke so she continues, “have a seat I’ll be right with you". He blinks his eyes a few times then shuffles his feet to the stool nearest the door. He sits on the stool, rounding his shoulders inward, resting his forearms on the bar. Kim thinks he may be trying to make himself invisible and she knows that feeling all too well. Kim heads to the kitchen to retrieve Kevin's lunch, which allows the new comer time to adjust.

Kim slowly approaches him, taking in more details the closer she draws. His legs, clad in faded jeans, are bouncing nervously on the stool rung.  He's wearing a hooded maroon shirt covered by an olive colored jacket. His short crop of brown hair appears as if it just rolled off a pillow. Kim's a little startled by the fact that her fingers are suddenly twitching to comb through his wild strands. Instead, she picks up a napkin and sets it down in front of him.

His bowed head snaps up when the napkin reaches his field of vision. Kim isn’t even aware of the small gasp of air that escapes her. A set of cornflower blue eyes briefly look up at her before quickly looking away.

Clearing her throat softly Kim asks, “What do you have a thirst for today, friend?”

There they are again, those eyes darting up at her then away just as quickly. “Uh, I’ll have whatever you have on tap."

She fills a tall glass while watching the nervous Nellie. She sets the frosted glass onto the napkin and asks, “Pistachios or pretzels?” Kim holds up two small baskets.

“What? Oh, pretzels, I guess,” He stammers.

Kim sets the pretzels down next to the beer and stoops her head down a little, trying to get him to look up. “You know, I was kidding about the biting.”

She's rewarded with not only a longer look into his eyes but also a brief smile that stretches through his bearded face, revealing a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. “Yeah, I know. Uh, thanks for the pretzels," he says before averting his eyes again.

“No problem. My name is Kim. Just give me a holler if you need anything. We also serve food if you're interested." He gives her a wordless nod before she turns away. Once her back is turned she takes a deep breath. What has gotten into her? she thinks.

She continues down the line, refilling drinks, clearing empty lunch plates and chatting up her patrons all with a speed and efficiency she's developed over time. She feels disappointment seep in when she realizes the man at the end of the bar has left.

********

“Well look what the cat dragged in! I’m glad I didn’t scare you away for good!" Kim cries as the man from the previous week returns.

“No, no you didn’t," he chuckles nervously, causing Kim to raise her eyebrow slightly.

Before she can ask he's stammering out his order, “I’ll take a rum and coke, ah please."

“Rough day today?” she asks smoothly.

“Uh yeah, yeah you could say that." His voice rises in pitch at the end of his sentence, causing Kim’s heartbeat to quicken a little. Her fingers feel slightly numb as she presses the button on the soda wand. _What the hell is my problem?_  She thinks to herself.

“Well, it may be cliché, but I’m happy to lend an ear if ya need it,” Kim tells him as she sets his drink down. "Or better yet, my cook makes a mean Monte Cristo sandwich if you're hungry."

There's a woman with red hair sitting at the bar a few stools down from where Mr. Blue Eyed Mystery Man sits. She leans his way and tells him, “She’s not kidding, man. Kim here is a regular ole Guinan."

Kim laughs, “Thanks Charlie, what a great compliment."

Mr. Blue Eyes raises his head. His eyes are hooded with his furrowed eyebrows. Kim wonders what, or who, caused them to reflect so much sadness and defeat. She would give anything to take it all away. He holds her gaze before answering, “I think I’ll stick with this, much appreciated though."

“Sure thing,” she answers. As if under their own control, the pads of Kim’s fingers brush over the knuckles of his hand resting on the bar. Kim feels a rush of heat run through her at the brief contact. She tries to conceal her feelings by throwing a wink at his startled face. “Holler if you need anything."

He manages a quick nod and what sounds like, "Okay."

Once again, Kim feels that tug of disappointment when she glances down to see the stool empty with only an empty glass and a few bills on the bar to show he was ever there.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday night always brings in a bigger crowd and the following week is no different. As much as Kim enjoys the slow, steady pace of the beginning of the week, Friday is her favorite night. Nothing makes her happier than being able to stand at her bar and run her eyes over the eclectic crowd that often gathers.

“Alfie!” Kim calls into the kitchen “There're some tables that need clearing."

A tall, lanky guy emerges, clutching an empty bin, “Sorry, Ms. Buckmaster, I’ll get right on that.”

“My goodness, kid, pu-leeze _do not_ call me that. It’s Kim, and also, no apologies needed.”

“Yeah, cause she's going to take you in back and whip you either way,” Crowley hollers in his gravelly voice, causing Alfie to cringe.

Kim slaps at the Brit’s hand. “Knock it off, he's a hard worker and I don’t want you to scare him off." He shoots her a lecherous smirk before turning back to his top shelf brandy.

Kim’s eyes scan the crowd once again and her breath catches when she sees the corner table's no longer empty. His face is obstructed by a laptop but she recognizes the mop of bed tousled brown hair. Kim leans onto the bar, resting on her elbows, she wonders what he's working on. Is he scrolling through social media? Typing an email? Maybe he writes for an online magazine or a food blog or better yet he's an author writing an intense thriller…

“Hello! Earth to Kim!”

Kim blinks her eyes and focuses on Meg, one of her waitresses, who's currently standing in front of her, snapping her fingers.

“Sorry,” she says shaking her head and standing up, “just doing a little day dreaming.”

“I gathered that,” she says on a slow smirk. “Unless you're willing to share, I’m going to take my break.”

“Ah, maybe another day," Kim replies, fighting every instict to look his way again, "I’ll cover the tables, thanks Meg.”

“Come on chicken shit, enough hand wringing already” she tells herself as she grabs a menu and heads to the table in back.

“Hello stranger! I hope today's going better for you,” she says cheerfully as she reaches his table, the lone chair occupied by Mr. Blue Eyed Mystery Man.

Her mouth runs dry when he finally looks up from his screen. His stunning baby blues are now behind a pair of dark rimmed glasses. Holy shit, she thinks, what was I going to ask him?? Oh right, you did, now you're waiting for a response.

“Oh, hi,” he stammers. “Well, it could be better I guess," he tilts his screen towards her revealing the blank page before snapping the screen down and setting the computer aside.

“Ouch,” she says, “are you a writer?”

“Not lately,” he says and there it is again, that high pitch. _Damn_ she thinks as her palms start to sweat.

“Can I get you anything from the bar? How about from the kitchen? I brought you a menu.” Kim feels a little silly when she feels the heat rise on her cheeks, as if she were a girl of twelve trying to speak to her crush instead of a grown woman of 35 years who owns her own business.

“Hm, you know, I haven’t eaten all day. What, what did you mention last week?”

Kim thinks back, “Oh the Monte Cristo sandwich.”

“Yeah, that's what it was," he replies with an index finger in the air, "I’ll try that. With a rum and coke, please.”

Grateful for the reprieve, she tells him she'll put his order in right away.

“You feel okay, Kim? Your cheeks are all flushed but the rest of you looks kind of pale.” Dean, her cook and best friend in the world, asks as she walks into the kitchen, his face showing concern.

“What? Oh no, I’m fine, tired I guess.” She shakes her head, “One Monte and fries, please,” she tells him.

“I don’t believe you,” he tells her. “Sit down will ya, I’m starting to get a little nervous. Have you taken a break at all today? Why don’t you head upstairs, I can cover the bar for a while.”

“I’m fine, really. Actually," she takes a deep breath, hoping to calm the butterflies in her stomach, “uh, I'd kind of like to be the one to deliver this order.”

His green eyes widen in understanding. “No way! What? Who?”

“Shhhh!” she cries as she laughs at Dean's bewildered look. "Keep your voice down, for goodness sakes, it carries!”

He laughs as he drops the fries into the oil and sets about making the sandwich. “Come on, I want details.”

“Sadly, there aren’t many to tell. I don’t even know his _name_. He's been in here a few times, stays for one drink then leaves before I can even say goodbye. I don’t know, Dean, there's something about this guy. It takes me hours to shake him loose after he leaves."

She watches him as he pulls the fries out to coo and sprinkles them with salt. “I just can’t seem to keep my shit together when he's around. My fingers go numb and my insides feel like they're made of jelly.  No one's ever made me feel this way, let alone someone I've hardly said more than ten words to in one encounter."

Dean flashes her his million dollar smile “That’s exactly how I felt the first time I met Cas," he says referring to the Theology Professor he's happily married to.

He scoops the sandwich off the griddle, flips it onto a plate, cuts it on the diagonal, nestles the fries between the two halves and adds a pickle spear. “This I gotta see," he tells her as he hands her the plate.

“Just don’t make it too obvious! I know, duck behind the bar and make him his rum and coke. He's sitting alone at the back table, green t-shirt. He may have a laptop out.” He bounces his eyebrows at her before leaving.

Kim all but pounces on him when he rounds the corner, drink in hand. “Well?”

Dean shrugs his shoulder. “He’s cute, I’ll give you that. I guess I never pegged you for the facial hair type.”

“Me either," she almost squeals. Embarrassed she clears her throat. “Yeah, me either but every time I look at him I wonder what it would feel like-”

“On your thighs?” he finishes her for her.

“NO!” She slugs his arm “Against my cheek! Hell, I'd settle for under my fingertips at this point,” she mumbles.

“Uh huh,” he says.

“You're hopeless,” she huffs as she takes the cocktail from him.

“Go get ‘em you Tigress!" he calls to her back.

Kim doesn’t think it’s possible but her cheeks grow warmer the closer she gets to his table. His laptop is open again and he jumps a little when Kim clears her throat.

“Sorry to interrupt but your food's up.”

He looks up and closes the laptop with a sigh. This time he throws it into the bag at his feet. “I got nothing today. It’s like squeezing blood out of a turnip.”

“I would imagine it’s because your brain is deprived of nutrients," she tells him in her best motherly tone as she sets his plate and glass down in the space previously occupied by his laptop.

He flashes her that shy smile, “Yeah, you're probably right…Kim was it?” He looks at the plate, “Wow, this smells heavenly.”

“Kim, that’s right. I never caught your name…”

“Oh, uh Chuck. My name is Chuck.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Chuck. I’ll leave you to your meal."

“Wait!” he cuts her off mid turn.

Kim turns back, “What can I get you, ketchup maybe?”

He looks a little like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes wide behind his lenses as he looks up at Kim, mouth slighly open, “Um would you…I mean have you…Ugh! Would you like to join me?” he stammers, shakes his head and waves his hand, “n-never mind I’m sure you have to get back to work.”

“No, that would be really nice,” she tells him as she eyes Meg returning from her break. “My cook was just giving me a hard time because I haven’t taken a break all night.”

Before she can reach for a chair, Chuck shoots up and pulls one over for her. She gratefully sits down with a soft sigh. “Thanks” she tells him as he sits back down. “Please, eat” she says gesturing at his plate.

Chuck picks up one of the triangles and takes a bite. He lets out a moan that has Kim shifting uncomfortably in her chair. It’s going to be tough not to remember that one later, she thinks to herself. “Oh my gosh,” he says around a mouthful “you've got to try this!” He swallows the bite and shakes his head, “what am I saying? Of course you've tried this! Damn, my compliments to the chief.”

Kim can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of her throat. Chuck pauses, mouth open ready to take another bite. “What?” she asks.

He lowers the sandwich “Nothing, it’s just that you, uh, you have a really nice laugh. It’s kind of…sexy.” He drops his eyes and then snaps them back up, “I just realized you said you haven’t taken a break all day which means you haven’t eaten yet either. Please, share this with me,” he pushes his plate to the middle of the table.

“No, I’m good, I usually eat after closing.” He's staring at her with those blue eyes, brow furrowed like a puppy afraid of rejection. “Ok, maybe a few fries. So, Chuck, what do you write?”

“I’ve written a few books but I’m sure you've never heard of em, most of them went straight into the bargain bins. What about you, do you own this bar?”

Taking his cue on the subject change, she answers his question, “I do indeed, I've been open going on, wow, four years.”

“I’ve only been in here a few times but I have to say, you've built a really beautiful place here. I don’t frequent a lot of bars, it usually isn’t my thing." He looks at her briefly before droping his gaze back down to his plate as he taps a fry on the edge of his plate, "In case you hadn’t noticed I’m a little socially awkward so being in a bar with so many people can be a challenge.

But here," he looks arougn the room, "I mean wow. Over here you got two women wearing costumes, the older man and woman necking in the corner over there, at the pool table you have the deputy sheriff clearly placing a bet on the next game, and me sitting here trying to bust through the worst case of writer’s block of my life." He pauses to take a breath before pointing the fry at the bar, "Then there's _that_ guy! I’m kind of scared of him which is why I’m over _here_ ,” he points the fry down towards the table before eating it.

Kim once again finds herself laughing and oh does it feel good. “The women in costume, Charlie and Jo, just came from a LARPing event," she pauses thinking she may need to explain further.

“Oh, yeah that makes sense. Okay, what about the couple in the corner?" he gestures with his chin as he finishes his sandwich.

Kim points to Chuck’s face, “You have a little, here I’ll get it,” she reaches over the table to wipe away a string of cheese at the corner of Chucks lip. Her fingers brush over his beard and she finds it hard to suppress the shiver that runs through her.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” he says quietly.

Kim clears her throat before continuing, “That's Bobby and Ellen, Jo’s parents. Jo's the blonde, not the redhead". Kim speaks as if she doesn't really want to clear the table in one swoop and explore Chuck's mouth. “They've been married for decades but they still act like they're honeymooners. It’s really sweet and gives me hope I'll find that someday."

Chuck nods his head slowly as his gaze remains on Bobby and Ellen, “That does sound nice. I don’t think that's in my future though, I’m way to neurotic for one person to handle,” he states as he eats another fry.

“I like to believe every person has a yin to their yang, as long as you allow yourself to remain open you'll eventually find him or her.”

He snorts out a laugh, “All it would take is one week of me waiting to hear from my publisher for my yang to leave my sorry, pathetic yin self.”

“Well Chuck, I don’t believe that. You got to have a little faith. We all have our own demons to deal with but sometimes those demons don’t seem so bad if you aren’t alone.”

“I guess I've thought about it that way; however, I'm still skeptical." He gives his head a little shake, seeming to pull him self from a fog, "Okay you gotta tell me about the guy at the bar. Is he really wearing a spiked collar? I don’t see any skin on either of his arms that doesn't contain ink and he's so loud!" As if on cue, Crowley lets out a yell at the soccer game on television.

“Come on you bloody nitwit, block the God Damn ball!”

Kim turns around in her chair and yells “Crowley, you'vee been warned!”

His shoulders hunch up around his ears and he holds a hand up. With his back still to Kim he yells, “Sorry, Love, it slipped out. Won’t happen again!"

Kim turns back to face Chuck with a grin on her face. In answer to his quizzical look, she points to a sign she has hanging above the bar. In bold, colorful letters it reads

_Cuss like a sailor, run a blue streak don’t matter to me but Homophobic slurs, blasphemy, or slander of any kind will not be tolerated. Basically, don’t be a douchebag and you are welcome in my family._

“Huh, I never noticed that from the stool on the end. Family, I like that. The name you chose, _Home For Misfits_ is perfect.”

Kim shrugs her shoulder, “I don’t have any blood relatives so this crazy bunch is my family.”

“So, what’s Mr. Belvedere’s deal? Is he someone’s Sub?”

Kim slaps the table then doubles over laughing. She takes a moment to compose herself. “That's Crowley. He has been coming here since my opening day. He likes to keep a mystic around him. He won’t tell us if Crowley is his first, last or if it's even his name at all. You could be onto something with the Sub/Dom. I have a theory but I've never uttered it to anyone, not even Dean, my chef who knows every sad detail of my life."

“Oh come on, you can’t leave me hanging!” he almost whines which Kim finds quite endearing.

“Okay, but if you repeat it I'll deny it”.

He motions like he's zipping his mouth shut.

“I figure he's something like an accountant by day, with a little yappy dog at home. He replaces his suit and tie with his jeans, short sleeved button down shirt, and leather collar. He comes here so he can escape the shell his life contains him in. He really is quite a sweet man under all his vibrato."

“Huh," Chuck's jaw flexes, "he isn’t so scary anymore," he mutters.

“Excuse me, Kim, I hate to interrupt, but the damn expresso machine's on the fritz and it only reacts to your soft caresses." The fact that Chuck’s mouth drops open briefly doesn't get past Meg’s attention.

“Hey Meg, that’s okay, I should get back there anyway, I’ll be right there. Thanks.”

Kim turns back to Chuck, “Thanks for the fries and the welcome conversation.”

Chuck scrambles out of his seat as Kim stands, adjusting her black skirt over her purple leggings. When Kim lifts her head, she finds she's less than a foot from Chuck. This is the first time they've both been standing at the same time, Kim is glad she wore her flat shoes tonight. He's only a few inches taller than her 5’5” frame.

All cohesive thought drains from her brain as her eyes travel over his beard, the sprinkling of grey along his chin makes Kim want to touch each and every hair. Past his little nervous smile her brain stutters a little more when she realizes she can actually count the light freckles on the slope of his nose. The travel upwards halts when she arrives at his eyes, inhaling sharply at the way his stare seems to penetrate through to her soul.

Unable to fight the urge to touch, Kim reaches out a hand and brushes it over Chucks bicep, causing him to jump back a little. They each stutter out an apology.

“I’m sorry, I’m so used to being alone, I-”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” Kim cuts him off, “I’m what you call a ‘touchy-feely’ person and I have to remember that not everyone appreciates their personal space being intruded upon.” Kim laughs nervously when she notices she has her hand on his arm again “Aaaannd there I go again, I’m sorry." At least this time he didn’t pull away she thinks as she pulls her hand back.

Not only does Chuck _not_ pull away this time but he grasps her fingertips. “I’ve noticed that about you, I-I mean how affectionate you are. I think it’s nice. You can um,” he clears his throat “you can intrude on my personal space anytime.”

His face becomes beat red and he lets go of Kim’s fingers to cover his face. “That was sooo cheesy and I'm ashamed of myself! Damn, I'm so bad at this,” he huffs as he drops his hands, not able to look her in the eye.

Kim lets out a soft laugh. Now it’s her turn to grasp his fingers, “Not bad at all, believe me I'm just as rusty at this…whatever this is.” He finally looks up at her, the blush starting to fade. “I really had a nice time chatting with you. I need to get back there but I hope we can pick up where we left off…” she trails off.

His eyebrows shoot up as if in surprise “Yeah, I'd really like that.”

“Ok, well I better get back.” She reluctantly drops his hand and bends to clear away his dishes. “I’ll send Meg over with a fresh drink.”

Kim's willing her shaking hands not to drop the dishes as she makes her way to the kitchen. Dean's hovering in the doorway with a tiny smirk on his face, a stir stick clutched in his teeth. “Would it help to know he's been watching every step you take? I can tell from here he's got it bad for you.”

“Shush!” she hisses at him. He follows her into the kitchen. “Dean!” she groans after dropping the dishes into the dishwasher “I'm _so_ not....good at this!”

He walks over to her and lays a hand on her shoulder, “Will you relax? You did just fine. To be honest I could feel the electricity betweeen the two of you from here. Now, you better get out there and get the expresso machine going before Meg takes a bat first to the machine and then to Crowley for ordering the drink in the first place. What Britt orders expresso anyway?” he mutters.

“Thanks for the pep talk, Dean. I’ve never felt this way before and I really don’t want to screw it up.” With that she heads out towards the bar to finish up the night.

Kim rides the remainder of the evening on a tidal of nerves. The waves peak every time she steals a glance in Chuck’s direction. She's happy to see he's picked up his laptop again, she hopes he's able to make some progress.

The bar is empty long before last call. _Empty_ except for the lone man in the corner with the dark rimmed glasses, clicking away on his keyboard. Kim silently locks the door, flips off the neon sign and heads to her office, leaving the author in peace and quiet to the creative juices flowing under that unruly mess of bedhead.

Dean pops his head into Kim’s office, “Hey boss, time to call it a night. Whatever that is can wait," he gestures to the pile of paperwork Kim is currently bent over.

She pinches the bridge of her nose “Where does the time go?”

“You know your Romeo's still out there, right?”

Kim nods her head “Yeah, he seemed so engrossed with his work I didn’t want to bother him.”

Despite her fatigue,  Kim feels a flutter in her chest and a lightness in her step when she lays eyes on Chuck.

“Looks like someone made a breakthrough.”

It takes Chuck a moment to realize Kim's standing there. When he finally looks up from the screen he's startled. “Whoa, hey there. What time is it?”

“Little after 3.”

“AM? Last I looked it was only 8pm.” He looks around the dark, empty room. “I'm so sorry, you should've kicked my sorry ass out long ago," he cries as he hastily gathers his belongings.

“Hang on there, Cowboy. It’s okay.” He pauses to look up, “No need to rush out of here. I mean, unless you _want_ to get home to sleep, it is 3am after all," she teases.

“I thought you all might like something sweet before calling it a night.”

“Dean! I thought you left.” Dean's holding out a pie pan containing two slices of raspberry pie left over from the day’s dinner crowd. Kim takes the pan, raises an eyebrow at the absence of plates as he hands her two forks. He's good, isn’t he? she thinks.

Kim sets the pan down and turns to Chuck. “Chuck this is Dean, our fabulous chief. Dean, this is Chuck, local author.”

“Your Monte Cristo is to die for, Man!”

Dean shakes Chuck's hand with a “Nice to meet you," and, “thanks, it’s always nice to hear when your food is appreciated. I need to get home to the Mister; you two crazy kids be good.”

Dean leans in to hug Kim and whispers in her ear, “I can stay if you need me to, I don’t know if I should be leaving you alone.”

Kim’s heart swells with gratitude, “I’m good,” she whispers back “thanks for the pie, nice touch.”

He pulls back “Alright, see you tomorrow then.”

“What have we here?” Chuck asks inspecting the pie.

“You think his sandwiches are good? They're nothing compared to his pies. I can pack yours up if you'd rather hit the road.”

“No, no I’m good. I have a severe case of insomnia, I'd much rather be here with you then watching infomercials. What about you? You must've had a long day,” he comments as he picks up his fork.

“Nah, it’s not unusual for me to see the sun come up. I don’t open until noon and I live upstairs so I don’t have far to stumble down to open up again.”

Kim braces herself as Chuck takes a bite of Dean’s pie; however, she's still ill prepared for the heat that pools in her stomach at the moan he makes. He doesn’t even speak, just digs in for another bite. A giggle escapes Kim as she takes her own bite.

As Kim watches Chuck enjoy his pie, she wishes she had the courage to go to the kitchen to grab a can of whipped cream. The pie is the last place the cream would go, she thinks as she slowly licks her fork clean.

Chuck drops his fork, snapping Kim out of her own imagination. “It’s a good thing I only live two blocks away, I don’t know if I could walk any further.”

“Dean’s food has that effect on everyone. So, it looked like you were making some progress,” she gestures at his laptop bag.

“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe. It’s probably all crap but I’ll see where it takes me. I should, uh get going,” he stands, hands at his sides looking down at the table. “I certainly didn’t think my day would turn out like this.” The two look up simultaneously to find themselves in a replay of earlier in the evening, only this time they're closer.

Kim can feel his warm breath on her face, all she can hear is the rush of blood in her head, all she can see are Chucks lips. With a brief thought of ‘now or never’ she rushes forward, with her hands on his shoulders Kim presses her mouth to his, curling her fingertips into his soft flesh. Even though her brain fires on every cylinder she pulls back when Chuck flinches. “I’m sorry, there I go again, I-”

Chuck cuts her off by placing a hand at the back of Kim’s neck and pulls her close. He presses their mouths together again only a little rougher. His tongue licks across the seal and she hungrily allows him entrance. Kim groans into Chucks mouth as his other hand grips at her waist, pressing their bodies close. Chuck pulls them apart, rests his forehead to Kim’s, his hand still at the back of her neck. His eyes are closed and they'ree both panting. “I should, ah, I should go,” he stammers releasing Kim’s neck and grabbing his bag.

Somehow Kim’s trembling legs carry her to the front door, she turns the deadbolt then opens the door welcoming the cool air that rushes at her. Chuck's out the door before she can turn back to him “Wait,” she calls to him. He halts, turns back to her with a wide-eyed look. “Here,” she hands him the business card, complete with cell number scrawled on the back, she had tucked into her pocket earlier in the day. “I just realized I don’t even know your last name."

“Shurley,” he states looking down at the card.

“Surely what?”

Her confusion breaks the tension and he smiles shyly, “Shurley is my last name."

“Oh, well don’t I look the fool?"

"Never." He glances down at the card in his hand again and smiles “Well, Ms. Buckmaster, I’ll see you soon. Sleep well." Without waiting for a reply, he heads for home.

Kim closes, locks the door then rests her forehead on the wood as she waits for her breath to steady.


	3. Chapter 3

“Well now, I do believe it has been several weeks since we saw that nervous crumpet you have taken a liking to. We didn’t scare him off, did we Love?”

Tuesday nights are the slowest night of the week at _Home For Misfits_ , making it the perfect night for a weekly poker game. The players change depending on who's available.

Tonight, the players are Crowley, Kevin, Bobby and Donna. Each person’s personality is vastly different then the next, and yet, here they are sitting around the same table, all chuckling over Crowley’s lack of tact. Kim's behind the bar and luckily there aren’t any other customers because he's yelling his question from the middle of the room.

Kim shakes her head and sighs, “Can it Crowley. It's only been thirteen days." She pretends not to hear Crowley when he leans over to Bobby and sneers, “Not that she's counting or anything," making Bobby’s shoulders shake with laughter.

“I’m sure he's working,” she continues. “I know it's hard to believe but there is a world that exits _outside_ these walls."

“Oh Honey, pay no attention to old crusty bottom here. I think the little guy seems sweet. Maybe a little shy but we all know that if anyone could coax him out of his shell it'd be you," Donna says with a wink.

Kim can’t help but feel like she's been bathed in sunshine whenever she's around Donna. The deputy sheriff may give the impression she's nothing but a soft, warm baked cookie but they all know differently. Kim once witnessed Deputy Sherriff Hanscum take down a mugger; ran him down hard and tackled him to the ground. The thug was cuffed before he even knew what hit him.

“Come on you blathering idjits, are we here to play poker or are we here to play love connection?” Bobby growled, throwing his chips into the pot.

Kim walks to the game table with fresh baskets of snacks and collects the empty beer bottles. She's heading back to the bar when her phone signals a text.

**Chuck: Sorry I haven’t been in a while, I've been locked up at home writing. I'd really like to take you out soon….if that'd be ok with you?**

She can’t hold back the smile as she types out a response.

**Kim: No need to apologize, I’m very glad to know you've made a break through….and you haven’t found some other hole in the wall bar to work. Take your time and let me know when you can get away. I’m patient when I know something is worth waiting for.**

**Kim: I think you're worth waiting for in case that wasn’t clear enough.**

**Chuck: Your place is more like a home away from home, certainly not a hole in the wall. I’ll be in touch soon.**

“Look everyone, I do believe contact has been made!” Crowley is once again yelling from across the room.

Kim ignores Crowley. “Donna, can I speak with you for a sec?”

“You betcha," she chirps. “What’s up?” she asks once she's approached the bar.

Kim leans in close and whispers a question to Donna.

“Yeah, I think I could manage that. Just give me a sec.” Donna pulls out her phone as Crowley starts up again.

“Are you having the little guy brought in so you can have your way with him? I could show the two of you a thing or two.”

Kim strides over to the table, fixing her gaze on Crowley.

“Oh I think you crossed a line this time, Man. Look at the fire in her eyes," Kevin says as he scoots his chair away from Crowley.

Kim stands behind Crowley, waits a beat then grabs his hair and pulls his head back. Not too hard but hard enough to make his eyes double in size. Kim's satisfied to see white surrounding his brown irises. She bends down until her mouth is practically touching his ear. “You could never handle me, _Love,_ ” she growls, emphasizing his favorite pet name.

He lets out a strangled sound in the back of his throat. Kevin and Bobby are both speechless, mouths gaping open. Kim gives them a wink and then moves towards Crowley’s exposed neck. Instead of biting his flesh she kisses his neck with a loud smack, letting go of his hair, finally losing her composure and laughing.

As she rides the wave of laughter back to the bar she hears Crowley grumble something about getting back to the game.

Donna hangs up her phone and hands Kim a piece of paper. “Thanks," Kim tells her, “I owe you one.”

Donna laughs, “You don’t owe me anything, what I just witnessed was payment enough. Nice work girlfriend and good luck with that,” she says gesturing to the paper clutched in Kim’s fingers.

“Thanks, now go and win all of Crowley’s money.”

Donna heads back to join the game as Kim goes to the kitchen. She is unexpectedly met by the view of Dean’s cute behind and bowed legs. He's bent at the waist, upper body reaching towards the back of the industrial sized fridge.

“What are you doing here? You're supposed to be home, with your husband enjoying a day off!”

Dean is equally startled at Kim’s sudden presence and straightens, only to bump his head on the fridge shelf. He closes the door cussing and rubbing the back of his head. “A little warning would've been nice.”

“I live here, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I am here. You, on the other hand, do not. You still haven’t answered my question.” She looks over the items spread out on the counter. “Why're you here cleaning out the fridge instead of at home making Cas’s toes curl?”

Dean laughs as he leans on the counter. “Believe me I would much rather be doing that. Cas had a meeting at work and I didn’t want to sit at home alone waiting for the phone to ring. I needed something to keep me busy.”

A little over a year ago Dean and Castiel had started the ball rolling on the adoption process. They passed with flying colors and are currently at the mercy of expectant mothers. Kim feels it's a shame the two men aren't able procreate together, what a stunning human the two of them would create. A little dark haired boy with blazing green eyes. “You know, I wasn’t just being polite when I made my offer,” Kim tells him.

Dean smiles at her warmly, taking her hand. “Yeah, I know and we love you for it. Briana offered as well.” Briana is married to Dean’s younger brother, Sam. “We discussed having a surrogate but we both feel there's a baby out there that needs us. We just need to be patient for him or her to find us.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” she squeezes his hand before releasing it.

“What're you doing in here?" Dean thows Kim's own question back at her. "Did those knuckleheads order food?”

“No, I actually came in here for a to-go order.”

“I can take care of it for you.”

“No, I got it. Thanks though.”

“Fine, just don’t make a mess of my kitchen” he tells her.

Kim huffs out a laugh as she prepares the meal. Several minutes later she says, “Actually, there's something you could help me with if you don’t mind.”

“Anything.”

“Would you mind holding down the fort for me, just for a few minutes while I deliver this?” she gestures to the food tucked neatly in a white bag.

“Since when do we deliver?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“We don’t, this is a special delivery.”

Dean grins and shoos her out of the kitchen.

Kim raps her knuckles on the wood twice, waits a few seconds and then sets the bag of food on the porch in front of the door. She bounces down the steps. One block later she pulls out her phone in order to send Chuck a quick message to let him know he needs to check his porch but he beats her to the punchline. 

 **Chuck** _:_ **turn** **around**

Kim turns around, looking back at Chuck’s house. He's leaning out his door giving her a short wave. Once again Kim can't fight the smile that spreads across her face. She returns his wave, thinks ‘what the hell’ and blows him a kiss before turning back around. She feels a little foolish but she doesn’t care.

Her phone signals again just as she's opening the door to the bar.

**Chuck: Thank you, you didn’t have to bring me food.**

**Kim: Put down the beer and drink some water. And you better eat all of that, I bet you haven’t had a decent meal since your last one here.**

**Chuck: I haven’t had a decent meal in decades.**

**Kim: Nothing special, just a bacon grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup and a salad. Oh and of course pie for dessert.**

**Chuck: You're too good.**

**Kim: Clearly someone needs to look out for you because you aren’t doing it. Now eat before going back to work.**

**Chuck: How did you find out where I live?**

**Kim: Benefits of having a Sister from another Mister who's a deputy sheriff. Shhhh don’t tell anyone.**

  
**Chuck: Your secret's safe with me. Have a good night.**

**Kim: You too.**

Several hours later the bar is closed, everyone, including Dean, has gone home. The only light in the bar is from the lightning storm that has just started. She listens to the thunder rumble in the distance as the rain starts to beat down softly. Kim's just about to walk up to her apartment when her phone goes off.

**Chuck: Hi. What're you doing?**

**Kim: Just about to head upstairs for the evening. How's the writing going?**

**Chuck: I took a break. I missed you.**

Kim smiles and thinks he seems a little braver when they aren’t face to face.

**Kim: I miss you too. Meg's covering the bar for me tomorrow, maybe you could take another break in the afternoon?**

**Chuck: I don’t want to wait that long.**

**Chuck: I’m outside your door.**

"What?" she yells at her phone before running to the front door and opening it. “Get in here!” she cries. “You think maybe you should have started with that? It’s raining out there!” He's dripping wet.

“Oh is it? I hadn’t noticed” he says and Kim isn’t entirely sure he's joking.

“Don’t just stand there, follow me.” She leads him to the kitchen and grabs a few clean towels and hands them off.

He rubs a towel through his hair and pulls at his wet t-shirt. “I’m getting your floor all wet. I didn’t even plan to come here, I just kind of ended up here. It’s late, I’m sorry, I should just go back.”

“No!” Kim says a little to forcefully “I mean, no," she says a little quieter, “please I want you to stay. Come on, we're missing out on a good storm. Summer storms in Wisconsin are the best. Don’t worry about the floor, it’ll dry.”

She leads Chuck out of the kitchen, walks through her office and up a flight of stairs.

As it is downstairs, the only light in Kim’s studio apartment is from outside. Kim toes off her shoes at the top of the stairs and Chuck follows suit. Just then a bolt of light streaks through the sky, filling the whole room momentarily. The light display is followed by a deep rumble.

“Whoa," Chuck says.

“I told you, it’s a good one. I love to turn off all the lights and just sit and watch out the window during thunderstorms. The sound of the thunder and rain is very relaxing to me.”

“Huh,” he says. “Thunderstorms have always kind of freaked me out," he continues, almost to himself, "then again I jump at my own shadow sometimes."

“Then we need do something about that but first you need to get out of those wet clothes, you must be freezing."

Kim turns on the small lamp next to her bed, walks to her dresser and riffles through a drawer. She joins Chuck, still standing at the top of the stairs and hands him a pair of men’s lounge pants and a t-shirt. “The bathroom's the second door there, right before the kitchen. Bring out your wet clothes and I’ll throw them in the dryer."

While Chuck's in the bathroom, Kim changes into a similar outfit. Sge feels a little shiver run through her when she sees Chuck wearing clothes she normally sleeps in.

She takes his wet clothes, opens the double doors to the left of the bathroom revealing a closet with a washer and dryer stacked on top of each other and throws the clothing in the dryer and hits start. “Are you hungry?” she asks as she closes the closet doors.

“No, I’m still full from the food you brought me this afternoon. Thanks again, no one's ever done that for me.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

Chuck shrugs like it’s no big deal.

Kim gestures to her couch “Sit, make yourself at home." She turns off the lamp and slides down the top portion of two out of four windows covering the back wall of the apartment; instantly filling the quiet apartment with the pelting sound of rain and rustling of leaves as the branches blow in the breeze.

Kim laughs when she gets a look at Chuck sitting on the couch. “I said make yourself at home. Meaning, make yourself comfortable. You look like you are sitting on Grandma’s plastic cover, afraid to break a rule.”

Chuck visibly relaxes at her joke, sinking into the couch a little. “That’s better,” she tells him as she plops down next to him, making sure they're sitting very close.

“I’m not gonna lie, this feels a little spooky,” he says.

Kim doesn’t say anything, she just presses her shoulder into Chuck’s a little closer. He finally gets the hint and wraps his arm around Kim. He jumps, squeezing his arm over her shoulder when there's a loud snap of lightening.

Kim tucks in close, wrapping her arm tight around his stomach. “I gotcha, no worries. I used to be scared of storms until a foster brother of mine told me if you count the seconds between the lightning and thunder you'll know how many miles away the storm is.”

“Really? How?”

“I don’t know if he was right or making it up to make me feel better but he said every five seconds was one mile.” Kim begins to count out the seconds with the next flash. She almost hits ten before the thunder sounds.

“Two miles isn’t so bad” Chuck mutters.

“Adam, that was the name of the boy in the foster home with me, also told me he liked to think of Thunderstorms as God playing bowling with the Angels. From then on I grew very fond of them.”

Chuck listens for a while and then says, “I keep picturing God in front of a microphone, the lightening is a spot light and the thunder is the roar of the crowd.”

“God the rock star, clutching a guitar, yeah I like how your brain works.” Kim gets up, walks to her bed and pulls out her pillow and walks back to Chuck. “Stretch out, get comfortable.” He does as he's told, laying his head down on the pillow. Kim wastes no time sliding into the space between him and the couch. She almost purrs as she stretches out along the length of his body, his arm coming back around her shoulders again.

He scoots down a little so he can nuzzle his nose in her hair. He inhales deeply and sighs contently. Kim takes her finger and begins to trace the lettering of the band name displayed across Chuck’s chest. Chuck lets out a giggle as she completes the ‘L’. Did he just giggle? she thinks followed by, damn that's cute.

“That tickles," he says making Kim pull her finger away. He takes her hand and puts it back on his chest “I didn’t say stop." She smiles to herself, begins to hum and continues with the ‘O’.

Kim never makes it to the final ‘N’ before they're both sleeping. The thunder beginning to ebb in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch my Louden Swain Easter egg? ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Kim is awoken by the persistent call of mother nature. It takes her a moment to orientate herself when she feels the warm body of Chuck under her arm.

Sometime in the middle of the night he'd pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch and covered them both. The last thing Kim wants to do is leave this fabulous cocoon but some things in life must take priority.

She slowly inches her way out from under his arm only to have him squeeze her close at the movement. “I just need a minute,” she tells him.

He opens his eyes and looks at her, the realization that it's morning hits him and he starts to sit up. “Did we sleep through the night?”

“We did and now, I need a minute,” she repeats, pointing towards the bathroom, “but please, don’t leave.” She can see something resembling panic starting to creep into his eye. She holds his gaze until his brows smooth and he lays back down on the pillow.

She doesn’t move until he answers, “Okay,” with a short nod of his head. Before he can change his mind, Kim gets up. She relieves her bladder, washes her hands, brushes her teeth and pulls her short locks into a pony tail. Whenever Kim pulls her hair back she can’t help but think it looks like she ran under a paintbrush dripping with black paint. She does like the contrast of the two colors though. Right before leaving she grabs a spare toothbrush and sets it on the counter.

When she emerges, she's a little crestfallen to find Chuck wearing his jeans, t-shirt and zip up sweatshirt. Her emotions must reflect on her face because Chuck quickly puts up his hands, “I’m not leaving, I just thought I'd change since they were dry."

“Really, if you need to go, it’s okay. I know you're probably itching to get back to your computer."

“No! I want to stay, honest!" His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and his eyes grow wide and Kim thinks he may be the cutest thing she's ever seen. "I just need to,” he points to the bathroom.

“Oh! Of course! Be my guest,” she steps aside sheepishly.

Kim smacks her pillow over her face and smothers a groan as he closes the door. Why am I so damn bad at this? she screams in her head.

Moments later, Chuck sits back down on the couch next to her, “Thanks for the toothbrush.” She nods her head as he continues. “I can’t believe I slept all night, I haven’t slept that well in....well ever really.” He rubs a hand over his face before turning to look at Kim with wide eyes.

The urge to kiss him is suddenly very overwhelming. She tries to cover her fluster with a pat to the couch, “This here's the best non-business investment I've ever made. I wanted something that was long enough and wide enough for two people. It’s not uncommon to have a friend or two in need of a place to crash.”

“It is a nice couch but I think it was the company,” he says quietly.

I’m a goner for sure Kim thinks as she leans in to kiss him. Just before they make contact her stomach lets out a low rumble. Kim’s head drops to Chucks chest in embarrassment. Her head is jostled with his laugher. “I would bet my last commission check you never ate any dinner last night. Even after all the hell you gave me.” He pushes her shoulders away, forcing her head up. “I’m right, aren’t I?” He has a sparkle in his eye and a contagious smile on his face. “Well?”

She drops her head back down “You're right,” she mumbles.

He laughs again, rubbing her shoulder. “Good because if I was wrong you would've seen how pathetic that commission check was.” He lays a hand over the side of her head, “You can’t be so busy taking care of others that you neglect yourself,” he tells her as he kisses the top of her head.

Kim can feel tears starting to prick the corners of her eyes, the tenderness in his voice is pouring out in waves.

“It makes me happy to take care of those I care about.” She lifts her head, “how about breakfast?”

“You don’t have to make me breakfast, you made me dinner. We could go out.”

Kim shakes her head and gets up, “Nope, I'm going to be selfish, I like it just you and I.” She stands in the middle of the room “Now that it's light out I can give you a tour.” He starts to stand as well and she holds out a hand, “No need to move, this won't take long.”

Kim likes to think of her little apartment as a giant ‘T’. She faces Chuck on the couch and points behind him. “Down that short hall you have the stairs and a small coat closet. Here” gesturing to the couch “is the living room.” Chuck tracks her hand past a small end table, past a tall bookshelf. “Now we have the bedroom.” The queen sized bed sits at the bottom of the ‘T’ pushed up against the back wall, under the windows. The next wall holds Kim’s dresser, “And now we'ree back in the living room. Past the entertainment center we have a small kitchen, bathroom and we end with the laundry room.” She turns back to Chuck. “That concludes our tour for today, next we'll retire to the kitchen for French Toast. Right this way, kind Sir," she says on a mock flourish of arms waving towards the kitchen.

Chuck stands and takes her hand, “You have a warm home, it's a perfect extension of what you've created downstairs.”

“Thanks, it’s little but it works for me. Have a seat.” The kitchen area is just big enough to hold a fridge, microwave, oven and a sink. The short breakfast bar has two tall backed stools.

“It seems most of your life is spent behind a bar, isn’t it?” he comments as he sits down on the tall chair, leaning into the back.

“Better than belly up on the other side I suppose,” she says as she starts pulling ingredients out of the fridge before making the coffee.

As the griddle heats, Kim mixes together milk, eggs and a little vanilla. “So, do you own or rent this building?”

“I own it. When I aged out of the foster care system I got a job waitressing at a bar and grill. A few nights a week I would tend bar there and the tips I made weren’t too shabby. The vision for _Home For Misfits_ was born when I would see the number of assholes that would come through.” She begins to dip thick slices of bread in the egg mixture. The bread sizzles when it hits the griddle. “I wanted a place where anyone and everyone could kick back with a beer after work, play pool or come for a burger. Along with the help of a few scholarships, I was able to get my associates degree in business at the tech school. Due to time and money it took me several years, but I did it.”

“That's really incredible that you did this all on your own.”

She flips each slice of bread and shrugs her shoulder. “I wasn’t completely alone. I met Dean at school. My first apartment was, no exaggeration, a crack den. It was all I could afford but I feared for my life every time I entered the building. I spend as much time at school as I could. I would shower in the locker room and nap in the study lounge.”

“Dean was working towards his culinary degree and he worked in the cafeteria. Whatever meal I didn’t get at work I would eat at school. We started out with friendly chatter then gradually led to him timing his breaks to join me for meals. It wasn’t long before I felt as if I knew his husband before I had even the pleasure of meeting him and he knew every detail of my dream establishment. When it was time to make a move he, and Castiel, were there to help me out.”

“Are they co-owners with you?”

Kim turns off the griddle, leaving the toast in place to stay warm as she cuts up a melon. “No, they offered to become investors but I was determined to do it on my own. Their constant bank of moral support and physical help when it came to renovations was nothing I could ever pay back. I figured that even if I didn’t succeed it was all worth the effort because I now had two brothers for life.” She sets out two plates. On each plate she places a few slices of melon and French toast. “Coffee?” she asks.

“Yes, please. Black.” She fills two mugs and sets them on the counter. Chuck opens her fridge and pulls out butter and syrup.

They both sit down at the breakfast counter as Kim continues. “The building next door's been empty for almost a year and the owner has finally decided to sell. Dean and I are currently in negotiations to buy it together. We want to bust down the wall and open a full restaurant. Our idea is to keep my side as is and expand it into the restaurant side.”

“What a great idea, that sounds remarkable."

“Thanks,” she tells him “I guess we’ll see how it all plays out."

“Mmmm,” is all Chuck says as he tucks into his toast.

“The owner's being kind of a pain, he really wants more than the building's worth. He doesn’t realize we aren’t in any rush. If it doesn’t work out we aren’t opposed to going elsewhere. I really like my apartment here but I’m a big believer in things will work out the way they're supposed to. You just have to learn to stay out of the way and let it happen.”

“That's a rather healthy outlook on life, maybe if I started thinking that way I wouldn’t have so many ulcers.”

“Stick with me, Kid. I’ll show you the way,” she tells him as she pops a piece of melon into her mouth. She chews and then says, “Tell me about what you're currently working on. Broad strokes, no need for details, I know how the creative process works.”

He shrugs, laying his fork down on his empty plate. “Broad strokes? It’s a story about two brothers looking for their father.”

“Yup, that’s broad alright. Okay, tell me about your published works. Do you write under a pen name because I struck out under the name Chuck Shurley.” When he remains silent she tries again. “Come on, you don’t know this about me but I can be very persistent. I'l not give in until you tell me what you've written.”

Chuck is shaking his head, “I told you it was all garbage and I highly doubt you've ever even heard of any of them.”

“Try me, I have a wide range of tastes.”

“Fine.” He sighs heavily. “My pen name is Carver Edlund.”

Kim’s eyes double in size and her mouth drops open. She forces out a “no way” before grabbing Chuck’s hand and pulling him off the breakfast stool.

“What did I miss?” Chuck stumbles to keep up as Kim leads him into the bedroom, stopping at the book shelf next to her bed.

“Never heard of you, I call bull shit.” She proudly points to the top shelf. Neatly lined up is a copy of every single one of Chuck’s books.

He is utterly dumbfounded. He tries several times to speak. “Why? “Not one of them's worth the paper they're written on let alone worthy of a collection!”

“Are you kidding?!? Have you not read your own work? She starts to tick items off on her fingers, “You have time travel, family angst, suspense, leading men pining for a lost love not to mention the awesome history element. I've read every book at least twice, some more often. I really think _Timeless_ needs to be made into a television show.”

“I wouldn’t go that far but I’m glad you liked them.”

“Liked is an understatement. I hope you know I'll be requesting an autograph on my favorite book.”

Distracted Chuck tells her, “Of course, I’ll sign them all if it really means that much to you.” He's now studying her collection of books, DVD’s and memorabilia covering the bookshelf. “You have all the greats here!" He comments in awe before naming them off, “All the Star Treks, Star Wars, Firefly, you even have Quantum Leap. I haven’t seen that one in ages.”

“Yeah, I’m not ashamed to say I am a nerd.”

He softly chuckles, “That makes two of us. Who's your favorite captain?”

“My first reaction is Captain Picard because that was the show that made me see the light when it came to being a Trekkie but Captain Janeway is my real hero.” He nods his head as if in agreement.

“Hey Chuck?”

“Hmmm?” he answers as he studies her small replica of the USS Voyager.

Kim’s nerves are starting to get the best of her, “I'd really like to, I mean I really enjoyed when we… Oh hell,” she forces out finally getting his attention enough to turn around to face her. “I really want to kiss you again.”

She expects him to become nervous but instead he approaches her purposefully, only to stop when their noses are almost touching, allowing her to take the lead. Kim leans in slow and firmly joins their lips. She captures his bottom lip, nipping it with her teeth then sucking away the sting. He lets out a moan and she seizes the opportunity to push her tongue into his mouth, twirling around the warmth before sucking on that as well, enjoying the lingering taste of maple syrup and coffee.

Now Kim moans as Chuck pulls out her hair tie, allowing her hair to fall into place and frame her face. He threads his fingers into her hair, gently pulling her head to the side opening up her neck. He plunges his mouth down over her pulse point, sucking and nipping. Her hands drop to his waist pulling at his shirt. “You have to many clothes on,” she pants. “I need to feel your skin.” She's finally able to maneuver her hands under the layers and run her hands up his back “Holy hell,” she growls as she feels the burn of his skin under her palms.

Chuck rocks his pelvis into Kim making her knees buckle as white stars burst behind her eyelids. She quickly straightens and grinds into his hard cock.

“Wait! Stop!” Chuck gently pushes Kim away, knuckles going white where they grip at her hips.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, searching his face.

“Wrong? Aside from the fact I have a smoking hot chick in my arms, and holy crap your tongue….I just can’t do this..”

“I don’t understand.”

He sighs heavily and averts his eyes, “I haven’t done this in a really, reeeaally long time and, fuck I’m one thrust away from coming in my pants. I’m not 16 anymore, I should have better control but,” his voice moves up an octave as he finishes, “did I mention it's been a really long time?”

Kim sighs with relief, “I’m thinking it's been even longer for me and trust me when I say your mouth alone almost did me in.”

He finally looks her in the eye, “Really? Why?”

“Has no one ever told you how fucking gorgeous you are?”

“No, no I’m not anything special.”

Kim wants stripe away every negative comment and thought he's about himself. “Shut up and kiss me you awkward, beautiful man.” She wraps her arms around his neck, presses her throbbing center over his straining zipper which causes him to gently push her hips away again.

She drops her head onto Chuck’s shoulder, pressing her face into his button up shirt, she lets out a frustrated groan. She lightly punches Chuck’s chest, lifts her head and locks eyes with him, “With the risk of scaring you off I’m going to make this simple. I really like you, I really like how your voice gets kind of squeaky when you're nervous, I really like how you shuffle your feet when you walk and holy fuck I really like how kiss. I want your lips to touch every inch of skin on me but for the time being,” she drops her head again, “I just need to…” she punches his chest again, this time a little harder, in place of an answer. Once again lifting her head she impatiently blows her bangs out of her eyes and fails. “The extensive list of things I want to do with you is being short circuited by the Borg that's assimilated my brain. So please, I’m throwing my last shred of dignity out the window here, help a girl out.”

Chucks eyes are wide, his brows are tightly knit together. He lifts his hand and with fingers that're trembling he brushes away the bangs still hanging in her eyes. Kim watches as if a flip is switched in Chuck as his brows smooth out and he cups Kim’s neck, pulling her into a deep kiss. His tongue is wild as it probes and swirls in her mouth. She can feel every one of his fingertips as they gently press into her neck, his thumbs brushing along her jawline.

Kim wraps her arms around Chuck’s back, pressing them chest to chest all the while keeping space between their hips. Kim starts to walk him backwards. The bed, less than ten feet away, feels more like ten miles so Kim figures the couch will have to do. She pushes him down and he lands with a groan. She starts to crawl on top of him when his straining jeans catch her attention. “That looks very painful, let me help you.” Chuck watches as she unzips his jeans and tugs them down to the top of his thighs. Kim tucks her index fingers under the waist band of his boxer briefs but Chuck grabs her arms and pulls her up towards his mouth before she can go any further.

They both let out a satisfied moan as their hips align, Kim’s legs spreading slightly in order to box him in. Their hips freely grind together seeking out friction. The feel of the thin fabric of his underwear and her pajamas only adds to the wet heat building between them. Kim has one arm around Chuck’s neck, her elbow bracing her weight while the other hand touches his face and runs through his hair. Chuck’s hands slide down the length of her body, pushing past the waist band of her pants. He grabs a dome of each bare cheek and squeezes, pulling her hips in closer as he pushes up to meet her thrust.

When Kim feels his warm hands on her ass she knows she has reached her limit. Their kiss breaks apart as they both pant and moan, the taunt line of desire snaps for Kim as she drops her head to Chuck’s shoulder, crying out she bites down on his shoulder. Chuck’s hips stutter, his head presses into the back of the couch on a soundless cry.

Kim’s strength goes out and she collapses onto Chuck, not caring about the wet mess between them. Chuck brings his arms up to hug Kim tight. “That was..uh…” he starts breathlessly. Kim shifts slightly, allowing him to pull up his jeans one handed.

“Yeah,” is all Kim manages to say as she closes her eyes.

For the second time that day Kim wakes up in Chucks arms. This time he's already awake. He's running his fingers through Kim’s hair with one hand while the other is being held tight over his heart. She lifts her head, looking at him through her lashes she simply says, “Hi.”

He smiles widely, trapping the tip if his tongue between his teeth before returning her, “Hi”.  He leans down to kiss the top of her head. “We fell asleep again. Aren’t we a bunch of crazy kids?”

With a snort, she sits up, “Story of my life,” she tells him. Chuck pushes up until he's sitting with his back pressed to the arm rest of the couch, his legs still stretched out flat. Not wanting to lose contact, Kim leans into the back of the couch and tents her legs over Chuck’s, feet flat on the couch toes hanging over the edge.

“Can I ask you a question? I mean you don’t have to answer if it’s to personal,” he quickly adds.

“I’m pretty much an open book. What would you like to know about me?”

Chuck takes her right hand, lifts it to his mouth and kisses each fingertip. Kim feels a slight tingle with each brush of hair above his lip. “Honestly, I want to know everything about you. I was wondering, earlier you had mentioned it'd been a really long time for you since you had, um, been with anyone.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, “Okay we're going there, yeah okay.”

“Don't feel like you _have_ to tell me anything, I’m just find it so hard to believe that you haven’t found the ‘yin to your yang’ yet.”

“No, you’re right, if this is heading where I hope it’s heading this is an important topic to discuss, it’s just a little pathetic on my end. The last guy I dated was almost four years ago. We dated less than a month.” He winces a little. “Oh no, let me paint you a bigger picture. We had sex but I never once finished until long after he was asleep and the worst part is, he never noticed. Look up ‘narcissist’ in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of Michael.”

“Oooo, ouch!” he cries.

“It gets better, add on another year between Michael and the previous guy.” Chuck's shoulders are shaking a little in laughter and Kim can’t help but join in. “With that being said, I apologize for turning into a pathetic puddle of need but this,” she makes a circle in the air, “was the most satisfying thing to happen to me in ten years. I’m sorry if it made you feel weird.”

Chuck stops laughing, his facial features turn serious. “No, no please don’t apologize. This was amazing. It made me feel like a randy teenager again, far from the 37 years I actually am. I really want to track that guy down and tell him what he's missing out on. You're such a kind hearted, beautiful woman inside and out. I hope I'll have the opportunity to make you feel as good and as happy as you make me feel. I don’t want to screw this up because, to be honest, I've fallen hard for you, Kim.”

Kim remains quiet for a moment, not trusting her voice to speak, she can feel a lump forming in the back of her throat. She moves up to straddle Chuck’s waist, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He immediately embraces her waist, pressing his face into her hair. “Thank you,” is all she can muster at first. When she's able to rein in her emotions, she sits back on his thighs and places her right hand on his cheek, scratching the tips of her fingers in his beard. “That's the most incredible thing anyone one has ever said to me. I've fallen just as hard for you, Chuck. I know we hardly know anything about each other but I still feel so comfortable with you, like I've known you my whole life.” She drops her hand to his shoulder and pushes her face into the crook of her elbow with a groan “That was so cheesy!”

He lifts her chin up, “It was a little cheesy," he tells her, “but it's absolutely true.” Without warning, Kim pushes up to her knees and kisses him. The kiss is brief but it's still full of heat.

“I wish I had a condom right now,” she tells him, looking him in the eyes.

He shakes his head slowly, holding her gaze. “I don’t. I want to do this right. You deserve better than that. I want to at least take you out on a proper date.” He glances at the clock on the wall “Wow, it’s already noon. I should really get home. I’m really close to finishing my current chapter.”

Kim climbs off his lap and stands. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.”

Once Chuck is on his feet, he pulls Kim into another embrace. “Are you free tonight? I wouldn’t leave you at all but I want to make myself a little more presentable to you.”

“I’m definitely free tonight and let me add I think you're perfect exactly how you are.” She kisses his cheek before pulling away.

Chuck laughs. “I'm far from perfect. Oh, and to be fair, I should tell you it's been almost two years for me, she turned out to be a kind of a stalker fan. She had somehow found out who Carver Edlund was and tracked me down but didn’t let on she knew who I was.”

Kim gasps, “How did she do that? Full disclosure, several years ago I did an extensive search trying to crack that code. I honestly had no idea who you were.”

He laughs, “I know that, the thought never crossed my mind. I think she may've bribed my publisher but I’m not certain. After a while I didn’t care, I just wanted her out of my life.”

Kim walks him to the top of the stairs and he bends to put on his shoes. “How about I pick you up at six?”

“You could or I could walk over to your place, sparing you any ribbing from my crazy family downstairs.”

“That sounds like a better plan, let’s go with that.” He kisses her once, turns to leave and then comes back for another kiss.

“Go already before I drag you back to my bed. I’ll see you at six.”

He flashes her a smile, full white teeth showing. “I can’t wait,” he tells her as he finally descends the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Six agonizing hours later, Chuck hears a knock on his door. He takes one more look around his house, knowing it's as presentable as he's able to make it, takes a deep breath and opens the door. The wind is knocked out of his chest when he looks at Kim. He holds the door open and just unabashedly stares. Her two-tone hair, which Chuck finds irresistibly sexy, has a slight curl to it tonight. She's wearing a wrap dress that shows every beautiful curve of her body; the sky-blue color makes the green of her eyes pop out like two emeralds.

Kim has grown accustomed to Chuck’s silences, she knows he sometimes finds it difficult to force his mouth to form words so she waits patiently.  “You look stunning,” he finally manages. “Please, come in,” he steps aside allowing her to pass and closes the door behind her.

Now it's Kim's turn to get a look at Chuck. He's wearing black dress pants, a white button up shirt layered with, Lord help me she thinks, a tailored pin striped vest.  His beard's been neatly trimmed and although his hair's been combed, it still looks a little unruly. The man is a stunning sight for sore eyes. "You look pretty sharp yourself, Mr Shurley," She tells him with a grin.

"Thanks," he says as his cheeks grow pink.  He shakes his head, "Okay, first things first, I want to make this an official date," he comments as he hands her a bouquet of pink and white daisies.

“My favorite!” she cries. “How did you know?” She answers the same time Chuck does, “Dean. This's really sweet. Thank you.”

“And now I just need to,” he starts as he pulls her into his arms, kisses her briefly then lets her go. “I just had to get that out of the way. Maybe my brain will quit misfiring on me now."

She snakes the arm not clutching the flowers around his waist, laughing, “No argument here, you're welcome and encouraged to kiss me anytime."

He leans in close, bumping their noses together, “Really? _Anytime_?” She nods her head yes. They're both smiling and their teeth bump together as Chuck kisses her again. “I know I should stop,” kiss to her neck, “but I really,” kiss to her chin, “really,” kiss to her lips, “like,” kiss to the tip of her nose, “the taste of your skin."

What starts out as a giggle quickly morphs into a moan as he cups her ass and flicks his tongue over her ear lobe. “I’m okay saying here if you want to skip dinner and go right to dessert."

He pulls his head away, “No, as I told you before you deserve better than that. Come on, I’ll give you the nickel tour of my house."

Kim finds her voice raising in pitch as Chuck’s so often does, “Okay then maybe we should skip the bedroom cause I can’t guarantee I won’t start unbuttoning your shirt."

He pats her butt then slides his hand up over her hip until it finds her hand, “You're making it very difficult to be a gentleman here."

“I give you points for resisting."

“Come on,” he says, “I think I can find a makeshift vase until you can get them home."

Chuck shows her his dining room turned writing den, small living room, bathroom, leads her past a few closed doors that Kim guesses are bedrooms, and they end in his kitchen. The walls throughout the house are bare except for a few comic book posters; the bar in the living room is piled high with books. Kim thinks of it as a typical bachelor pad, clean but a little impersonal.

Chuck fills a large mason jar with water and drops the flowers in. He turns to Kim with a small smile, “It’s about time my dreary little kitchen had a splash of beauty, and the flowers are nice too,” he adds. "Let’s go to dinner,” he offers her his elbow, “I want to know what it’s like to have such a babe on my arm.”

“Why Chuck, I never knew you were so smooth,” she laughs as she loops her arm through his elbow.

The twenty minute drive in Chuck’s Cobalt went by quickly. “I’ve never actually been here. When I left your place this afternoon I ran into Dean and asked him for a dinner recommendation. He told me you love Indian food.” Chuck's holding the door to the restaurant open for Kim.

“No one knows my taste in food better than Dean Winchester,” she tells him as walks through the door.

Chuck groans, “Great, as if I need one more thing to be jealous of that guy. Honestly, is he human?”

Kim laughs, “Wait until you meet his husband. _That_ guy could make a straight man question his sexuality.”

“Thanks for the warning,” he tells her as the hostess seats them.

As the waiter walks away with their menus Kim reaches across the table to hold Chuck’s hand. “This morning you let me go on and on about myself but I still hardly know a thing about you. Tell me, Chuck, what makes you tick? Where did you grow up? Have you always been a writer? Jump in anytime because I can keep going.”

“Ahhh,” he says on a deep exhale. “Well I grew up in and around the Chicago area. I've worked odd jobs since I was 16. Being a writer is kind of engrained in my soul but I received my first paycheck as a result of something I wrote when I was 18.”

“Do you have any family back in Illinois?”

Chuck shakes his head, playing with her fingers he says, “No uh actually, I grew up like you, bouncing from one foster home to the next. My father took off before I was born, I don’t even know his name, it isn’t on my birth certificate. My mother died of a drug overdose when I was five. I only have flashes of memory from when I was little. I remember being very hungry and dirty. I think there was a neighbor that would come and get me when my crying through the walls was too much for her to ignore. More out of pity, really.”

“I had zero social skills, I'd never been around other kids. I had no idea what affection felt like. This all made me a difficult ward for the foster families, too much baggage I guess. I never got into any trouble I just, I don’t know, was happier sitting in the corner trying to make myself invisible.” He finally has the nerve to look up, expecting to see pity in Kim’s face but instead he only sees warmth and what he thinks may be understanding. His instinct is confirmed when she finally speaks.

“Huh,” is all she says at first. “I know exactly what're saying. I mean, my parents were killed in a car accident. When I was old enough to hunt down the newspaper article regarding the crash. all I could wonder was how I survived. I was four and I don’t remember anything about my parents but that's where our stories start to run parallel. I never got into any trouble either but I didn’t know how to _act_ in a family. I didn’t know how to make myself fit in and after a while I quit trying. I was more of a wall flower, I didn’t feel like I deserved more than the basics of survival.”

The waiter comes and places their food down in front of them. Chuck's lost in the past and takes no notice of him. Kim thanks him quickly so he'll leave them to their conversation. Chuck’s mouth drops open, he closes it, shakes his head, and chews his bottom lip. Kim sits quietly, studying his handsome face, she knows he'll get the words out, he just needs to do it at his own pace. His trance is broken when the smell of the curry reaches his nose. He blinks and looks down at his plate. “Wow, this smells fantastic!”

Kim changes the subject, thinking maybe he needs a little more time to digest their conversation. They fall into a comfortable conversation of favorite movies, pastimes and music.  Soon the waiter's back, clearing their empty plates. Chuck is once again holding the door for Kim as they exit the restaurant. “Kudos to Dean,” he tells her, “that was the best Indian I’ve ever had." Kim can only agree.

They start aimlessly walking, neither of them really seem to have a destination in mind. Chuck wraps his arm around Kim’s waist and he pulls her in close. They end up entering a city park. The park fills an entire block. It has several paved walkways, each end has a playground, off to one side is a small domed amphitheater with stone benches for seating. Running through the center of the park is a little pond. They take a seat at one of the benches near the pond.

As they sit in a comfortable silence,  Kim' watches the ducks swim idly around the fountain in the middle of the pond. She's enjoying the weight of Chuck’s right arm on her shoulders, the wave of heat coming from his chest and the sound of his heart beating. His heart begins to beat a little more rapidly. “A penny for your thoughts,” she tells him as she shifts to get a better look at his face.

“Just thinking,” he says.

She can’t help but laugh, “Yeah, I know.” She doesn’t elaborate, just waits patiently.

“How did you,” he stops and tries again. “How were you able to turn your outlook on life around? You stepped out on your own, found a job to support yourself, a place to live, put yourself through school and opened your own business. Not even a business, a safe haven, really. I see how warm you are, how you make every person you come into contact with feel like they're someone special.”

Kim sits up straighter and shakes her head but Chuck continues before she can speak. “No, you do. I’ve watched you. From the first moment I stepped through your door, I felt it. I felt like maybe I belonged there. Like I had finally found what I've been searching for but I didn’t know I was looking."

“How did you do that? I left that last home and I bounced from job to job. I was finally able to scrape enough words together to publish a few books that allowed me to buy a house but really, I haven’t been living. I've _barely_ been surviving. I drink way too much, I don’t like being around people because they all make me nervous. Hell, I don’t even like myself!"

Chuck is speaking at a rapid pace, pausing only long enough to take a breath. As he speaks, he keeps his eyes on the fountain, his left hand is nervously running through his hair. Kim can feel tears starting to form and she blinks them away before they're able to fall. Chuck’s voice becomes uneven and his bottom lip is trembling a little, “How did you do it?” He asks again, this time he looks her straight in the eye.

Kim’s mind is going in five different directions and she isn’t sure which way to start. She surges forward to pull Chuck into a hug. For the time being, all she can do is hug this man tight. Her mind reels with her own questions. How can she even begin to describe to him how just being in his presence makes her feel so damn good? What would it take to strip away every inch of self-doubt he feels about himself?

Behind her closed eyelids she pictures a little boy with brown hair, sitting in the middle of a dirty room, wearing nothing but underwear and a tattered t-shirt, clean streaks on his cheeks where the tears have fallen, completely alone. Kim wants desperately to be able to go to that little boy, pick him up and hold him. She wishes she could tell him everything will be okay because just one state away, in a suburb of Milwaukee there's a little girl who loves him. It'll take many years before their paths finally cross but she'll make him know he's loved, he's no longer alone and he's worthy.

She's unable to get to the little boy but she can try her best with the man he's become. She tightens her embrace as his breath hitches before pulling them apart. She quickly swipes at her own eyes before cupping his face in her hands. Her thumbs brush under his lower lids and trail down his cheek, the pads of her thumbs rubbing up and down his jaw line through his soft beard. She closes her eyes briefly, her own breath hitches as the image of the tear streaked boy flashes before her eyes again. She opens her eyes and slowly shakes her head from side to side, not even sure what she's going to say.

“I don’t know _how_ I did it. I just knew I had to change if I was going to survive." She tilts her head to the side as if she's just realizing something, “When Dean and I became friends I realized I was tired of being alone. I wanted to have a family, I needed to have a family so I made it happen.”

Chuck takes a deep, steadying breath. Kim drops her hands from his face and weaves her fingers between his. “I had a ‘build it and they will come’ goal in mind." She shrugs her shoulders “And it worked, they came.” She thinks of Dean and Cas, Dean’s brother Sam and his wife Briana, Charlie and Jo, Bobby and Ellen, Donna, Kevin hell even Crowley comes to her mind. The tears start streaking down her face as she finishes, “ _You_ came. You were the missing piece I didn’t know was missing until that day you sat on that bar stool, shoulders hunched as if you were trying to make yourself invisible. Everything in me wanted you to know I saw you and I was glad you were there, even if I never saw you again".

Kim drops her gaze to her hands and instantly opens them when she sees how tightly she's gripping Chuck's hands. As she frees his hand one comes up under her chin. He leans in slowly and presses his lips to hers. They remain that way, lips pressed together both inhaling and exhaling deeply through their noses as if they are both fighting back emotions. Chuck's the first to purse his lips once then twice. On the third kiss, he inhales deeply and pulls Kim sideways onto his lap. He wraps his arms around her waist and holds her close. She buries her head in his neck as he sighs out a, “Thank you."

The longer they sit together, the more Kim can feel the tension from her past melting away and she hopes Chuck is experiencing at least a little of that as well. Even though the sun's only now beginning to fade, the air's a little cooler coming off the pond and Kim shivers in her short-sleeved dress.

“We should get you indoors,” Chuck says as he rubs her arms.

“I enjoy sitting here with you, I’m fine,” she protests.

He gently scoots her off his lap, “Come on, lets head back to the car.” They walk back, once again, arm in arm.

They're standing at the back door of _Home For Misfits_. “That isn’t exactly how I envisioned our evening going but I still loved every minute of it. I love every minute I'm able to spend with you,” Chuck tells Kim with a hand on her hip.

“Me too.” She leans in, her mouth by his ear, the feel of her warm breath is making his palms sweat a little. “You know,” she whispers, “I can think of a few things that would allow us to spend maaany more minutes together.” She presses a light kiss to the soft spot behind his ear.

“Um,” he starts, clears his throat, and in an only slightly deeper voice, “I think I should go." The hand on her hip tightens and she thinks, no hopes, he may be rethinking his answer but instead he says, “I meant it when I said I wanted to do this right."

Kim puts on her best pout. “Of all the cute writers for me to fall in lo-” she catches herself just before the word tumbles off her tongue, “for me to fall for, I had to pick the Boy Scout,” she hastily finishes with a quick peck on his mouth.

Chuck doesn’t let on if he caught her near slip up. Instead, he returns her quick peck with a fierceness he's never shown before. His tongue slips between her lips, swipes across her tongue before capturing it and sucking it into his own mouth. His forwardness has Kim curling her fingers at Chuck’s waist and a deep moan escaping her throat. He pulls back, keeping her body close, “Good night,” he tells her quietly. “I'lll call you tomorrow." With one last kiss to her forehead, he turns and walks in the direction of his house.

Kim sits there stunned as she watches him walk away. On her second attempt, she manages to turn the door knob and stumble through the door into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this story I promised myself all fluff and no sadness but as I wrote this chapter my own tears wouldn't stop so I had to break my promise.


	6. Chapter 6

Kim blindly walks through the empty kitchen into the bar. The questions are bouncing around her skull as fast as a tennis ball during a match with the Williams twins. _Is it possible to love him already? Isn’t it too early? What if he isn’t ready for anything serious? Maybe he's just looking for a little companionship._

“Hello Kim,” she hears somewhere in the distance. As Kim drops down onto a stool she returns with a weak, “Hi.”

 _Maybe I should just tell it to him straight, then he can take off like a batt out of hell before I really dig myself in too…_ Kim blinks her eyes and shakes her head. “Oh damn, Castiel! I’m so sorry I just…” She stands up to give him a hug.

He pulls back but keeps a hand on her arm, “It’s fine, clearly your mind's focused on something, or maybe I should say someone, else. Everything okay? Dean said you had a date and I probably wouldn't see you tonight.” His blue eyes are searching her face in concern.

She sits back down on the stool as Castiel takes the stool next to her. “No, I’m fine, just thinking. How're you? I haven’t seen you around here in a while.”

“I’m good. Preparing for my summer school classes has taken up much of my time. What about you, from what Dean tells me you've met someone. Chuck, is it?”

Just hearing his name makes Kim’s face light up. “Yes, his name is Chuck. Hey Cas, can I ask you-”

Dean cuts her off as he enters the room, “What're you doing back so soon? I thought for sure you'd be waking up at his place. Wait, did something happen?” His body tenses like he's ready to chase Chuck down.

Kim drops her head onto her arm that's draped over the bar. “If it were up to me I would be." Still speaking into the wood, “He's determined to be a gentleman." She lifts her head and looks at Dean “You know, no sex on the first date."

Dean starts laughing, "Guess that's the difference between a man and a woman and two men. There's no such thing."  Kim drops her head again. She feels a warm hand between her shoulder blades.

“Dean! Clearly our friend is in need of help. Maybe you could act your age for a moment?"

“Oh, I love it when you use your teacher voice on me, Baby."

“Dean!” Cas growls. Kim lifts her head again to see Dean leaning on the back wall of the bar, palms out.

“Ok, Ok, I’m sorry. Really, I think it’s very noble of the little guy. I told you he had it bad for you because if he wasn’t serious you wouldn’t be sitting here with an old married couple. You'd be clearing out those lines between your eyes that are clearly due to sexual frustration."

Kim shakes her head, “Go ahead, yuck it up big boy. Laugh at my pain."

Castiel heaves out an exasperated sigh, “You were about to ask me a question before we were interrupted by the crass teenager."

“How long did it take for you to know he was the one?” She directs her question to both men but Castiel speaks first.

“Well, as you know we first met when we were teenagers. I was crystal clear on my sexual orientation at a very young age but Dean was a little slower to blossom."

Dean groans, “What a moron I was! All those years wasted on confusion when we could've been having mind blowing sex!”

“I’m sure you've more than made up for it,” Kim says, not taking her eyes off Castiel.

Aside from the small smile now on his face, he continues as if he hadn't been interrupted. “Our relationship didn’t move past the platonic stage until we reconnected again in our early twenties. I believe our connection was always there and I know I always loved him. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you can’t compare our story with you and Chuck. How do you feel about him? Does it feel like this is something serious?”

“Just now, when he dropped me off, I almost dropped the ‘L’ word without any forethought."

“Whoa,” is all Dean says.

“I know!” she cries as she gets up to pace the room, grateful the bar is empty. “We've only known each other, what two months but, I don’t know there's something about him that makes me feel like, like-”

“Home,” Dean answers softly for her, his eyes trained on Castiel.

“Yes! Exactly!” She sits back down because the pacing is making her anxious. “But guys, isn’t it too early? I’ve never been in love, I don’t know if that's what I’m feeling. All I know is, from the minute he walked through that door I haven’t been able to shake him. Every single morning, he's my first waking thought and at night he's my last conscious thought before falling asleep. I worry he isn’t eating or sleeping enough. And the touching!”

Dean’s eyebrows shoot up.

Kim laughs “No, I don’t mean touching like I want to unzip his pants and whip out his…” she shakes her head and waves her hand in front of her face “No. Sorry, I better stop there."

“Kim that isn’t unusual for you, you're a very ‘handsy’ person. I mean that in a good way. You have this way of making everyone feel very comfortable. It’s one of the things I love most about you."

“For the first time tonight, I agree with Dean."

“Aww you guys are making me feel all mushy inside. With Chuck, it’s different. I have this constant itch under my skin and the only way to soothe the itch is to make physical contact. You know, holding his hand, sitting just a little closer so our shoulders touch, or running my fingers through that fucking beard. Shit!”

Now it’s Castiel’s turn to laugh. He's pointing a finger at Dean, “You just described Dean".

Kim looks at Dean wide eyed. He pushes off the back wall and leans onto the bar, inserting his head between Cas and Kim. “He’s right, that’s how I felt, no I still feel that way about Cas. Even after twenty plus years of being together, just the feel of his skin is like a drug to me. I can’t get enough.” He sandwiches Kim’s hand between his palms and looks up at her. “I think you need to be honest with him, tell him how you really feel. I've learned the hard way not to make assumptions about what those around me are feeling. I also know I've have been with Cas here a lot sooner if I'd just listened to what my gut instinct was telling me and ignored what my frightened brain was telling me.”

Castiel sits silently, nodding his head in encouragement.

“You know the part I’m talking about. The one that tells you, it’s too soon, there's no way someone could love me that quickly or worst yet, not at all. Am I right?” He pushes up onto his toes so he can bump his forehead against Kim’s as Castiel lays a hand over her shoulder blades again.

“How does that song go?” Dean says “ _When love needs a push, and a push comes to shove. This may be your chance, don’t bust it up._ Don’t miss your chance because of doubts. I thank my stars every day I was lucky enough for a second chance. I think you found a good guy and I don’t want to see you lose out. You deserve to experience what I have with Cas.”

Kim takes a deep breath “You're absolutely right, thanks guys. How did I get so damn lucky to have you both in my life?”

Dean kisses her forehead before pulling away to walk around the bar. “Not luck, cheap college cafeteria food,” he tells her as he pulls her into a hug. He smells like French fries and warm bread.

Kim turns from Dean into the waiting arms of Castiel. His sweater vest tickles her nose as she presses her face against his firm chest. He rubs her back, kisses the top of her head and says, “Now get up upstairs and get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.”

She follows their orders, leaving Dean to close up. Kim climbs into bed with images of blue eyes and a warm smile flashing before her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

The next week and a half passes by agonizingly slow. Kim and Chuck speak or text at least once a day. Several times Kim has dropped meals off on Chuck’s porch because she knows he'll sustain himself on beer and beef jerky if left on his own completely. It goes the same every time; she drops the food on his porch without knocking, once she gets back to the bar she sends him a text. Then he gives her a hard time for not knocking because he wants to see her. As much as Kim would kill to just get a quick hug she resists the temptation. Chuck's very close to completing his book and the last thing she wants to do is act as a distraction.

From inside her office Kim hears Meg yell out last call. It's Saturday night which means the bar will be closed for the next two days. Kim figures she'll be stuck at her desk, as long as Chuck is working she might as well work on her projected budget for the restaurant expansion.

Alfie sticks his head in the doorway, “Kim, you have a visitor.”

“Okay, thanks I’ll be right out." Grateful for the reprieve, Kim walks out and lets out a squeak when she sees Chuck standing there. His hands are shoved in his pockets and he's deep in conversation with Crowley.

Chuck looks up mid sentence and smiles when he sees her. She can’t help herself, she rushes forward and throws herself into his arms. She feels her feet momentarily lift off the ground. Chuck pushes on her shoulders enough to capture her mouth. “Nice talking to you, man,” Crowley says with a slap to Chuck’s back.

“Oh sorry,” he says as they break apart for air.

Crowley winks at Kim, “No worries, carry on. I’m never one to stand in the way of young love."

“What're you doing here, shouldn’t you be working?”

Chuck walks over to the bar and picks up a flat white box. “Good news!” He hands the box to Kim, “I finished!" Kim gasps, takes a giant step towards the bar and pulls off the cover. Inside is a stack of papers. The top sheet simply says “ _Supernatural” By Carver Edlund._

“Holy Crap!” Kim cries, hugging Chuck again. “Congratulations, Baby. This is incredible. I’m so proud of you!"

“You should probably wait for that until after you read it, you may think its crap. I myself still haven’t determined how craptastic it is."

Crowley clears his throat very loudly and points to Kim’s sign. “I believe that may fall under the category of slander."

“Thank you, Crowley, you beat me to the punch line," she pats him on the shoulder. "Wait,” Kim says as she realizes what the first part of Chuck’s statement was, “you want me to read this?” she asks as she clutches the bound manuscript to her chest.

Chuck steps up to her and places his hand over hers. “Of course, I do” he says quietly. “Your opinion's the only one that matters to me. Hell, if it weren’t for you there wouldn’t be a book." Kim is already shaking her head ready to disagree, he figures he can explain what he means by that later but for now he just wants her to read it. “I already sent a copy to my editor, this one is for you."

Kim wants to turn tail and run upstairs and tear into the book but instead she calmly asks Chuck up to her place for a celebratory drink.

“No, I want to hold off on that until you read it," he says, repeating his earlier statement. “Um, Kim?” he asks.

“Yes Chuck?”

“Do you realize you're slowly inching your way towards your office?” He kind of scrunches his shoulders and points a finger in her direction.

She lets out an exaggerated “Noooo, nuh huh."

“Go on, go.” He makes a scooting gesture with his hands, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

She lets out another squeak, runs to Chuck, kisses him on the mouth then runs upstairs.

Chuck shakes his head, laughing. In all honestly, this moment feels very surreal to him. This is the first time he's ever been excited for someone to read his work. Typically, after mailing a manuscript off he spends the next week drinking himself into a stupor, spiraling downward into a deep abyss of self-loathing.

This time is different. This time he has someone in his corner. Someone who he knows will support and encourage him. He knows Kim will be honest with him, not just placate him in order to benefit from the book going to press.

“Sit down, Charles. Let me buy you a drink,” Crowley tells him.

“Okay, maybe just one." Meg has already gotten out the rum and coke.

Dean walks in, Castiel on his heels. “I thought I heard you. Hey there, Chuck!” Dean walks towards Chuck, “This is my husband, Castiel. Cas, meet Kim’s Chuck."

Chuck grasps Castiel’s outstretched hand. He can’t help but smile, he likes the sound of ‘Kim’s Chuck’. “I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s nice to finally be able to meet you."

“Like wise,” Castiel says. “What did we miss? I could've sworn I heard Kim’s happy squeal.”

“You did indeed". Crowley pipes up “Charles here finished his manuscript."  After Dean and Castiel are finished offering their congratulations he adds, “Maybe now you can get to properly shagging the poor girl. She's so hard up on you I think she may bust."

Chuck chokes on his rum.

“We can always count on you, Crowley, to speak what everyone's thinking,” Meg tells him with a smirk. She heads over to the door to lock up and turn off the window sign.

 

@@@@ 

Just after 9am on Sunday morning, Chuck opens his front door and is sacked in the chest with a soft, warm body that smells of coconut and shea butter. He sees a blur of black and bright pink hair before feeling velvety lips covering his face, neck and mouth in deliciously sloppy kisses. Kim’s body is literally vibrating in excitement, her legs are wrapped tightly around Chuck’s waist. Somehow, he manages to close the door and get them both to the couch before toppling over.

“I take it you liked it,” he laughs as she finally comes up for air.

She climbs off his lap and shifts the messenger bag that's slung over her body, pulling out the manuscript. Chuck takes it from her hand and smiles as he fans through the pages, marveling at the dog-eared pages and writing in the margins.

Kim stills, “I hope it’s okay that I made a few notes."

Chuck’s head snaps up, “Are you kidding? This is fantastic! Come on, tell me what you thought! Wait, have you slept at all?” His excitement wanes a little with his concern.

“No way, you had me hooked half way through the first chapter. There was no way I was going to waste time on sleep."

Chuck's staring at Kim in amazement, the manuscript hanging limply in his hands. The remaining feeling in his fingers finally recedes and the pages flop down with a flutter into his lap. “You read the whole thing in one sitting?”

Kim nods her head enthusiastically. “All 302 pages. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved every word. I mean, okay there're a few things I was a little confused about and I made notes but I think maybe it’s because you don’t _want_ us to understand. Not yet anyway.” Kim can't sit still as words just start to tumble out of her mouth. "Baby! This has it all. Urban legends, humor, family conflict with the brothers, not to mention what the hell happened to Dad??”

“What about the way Mom died, that wasn’t too farfetched?”

“No, it adds to the whole mystery."

Chuck gets up and begins to pace the room, chewing his thumb nail with his front teeth. “Did it piss you off when the girlfriend died?”

“Nope and holy cow I did _not_ see that one coming! Again, another layer to the mystery. It had to be done, there was no way the story could continue with both brothers because he wouldn’t have left her or school. Her death's the only logical catapult."

“Huh,” he says. He leaves the living room and walks into the kitchen and grabs two bottles of water out of the fridge. He doesn’t even bother to close the door before he chugs half a bottle down, replaces the cap, then closes the door and walks back into the living room and hands the full bottle to Kim.

He sits down next to her. “Say something, your silence is making me nervous,” she tells him.

He swallows hard a few times and turns his head slowly. “I don’t really know what to say. I guess I’m so used to the usual ‘eh it’ll do’ kind of answer. Y-you really liked it? You’re not just saying that because you’re my girlfriend? Do you think other people will like it?”

“Oh honey!” she cries as she runs her hand through his hair, resting it at the back of his neck. “I’m ashamed to say I've had to fake my excitement many times, if you catch my drift, but this sure as hell isn’t one of those times. No, I don’t think other people are going to like it. I know other people are going to _love_ it!”

He looks straight ahead, stares out the window in front of the couch and says, “Huh.”

Kim stands and kicks off her sandals, she's quite impressed with the fact she managed to put on a matching pair in her haste to run out the door. One of the few things Kim took the time to do before starting the book was change her clothes. She's wearing cotton shorts and her favorite rock band t-shirt. The very shirt Chuck wore the first night they spent together.

Chuck’s stare out the window isn’t broken until Kim’s body slides into view. His eyes travel up her body and rest on her face. She slowly straddles his lap. She runs her hands up his arms until they get to the front of his robe, she pushes back on the lapels until it slides off his shoulders. His eyes remain fixed on her face as he pulls his arms out, freeing them from the garment. Kim bends at the waist and kisses the soft skin at the nape of Chuck’s neck. Slowly making her way up his neck, past his earlobe laying feather light kisses in her trail. Her pace remains slow even as she reaches his mouth, her tongue gently prodding its way into his mouth. Her hands come up to his shoulders and she kneads at the tight knots, trying her best to take away at least a little of his tension from the last few months. Her kneading moves down from his shoulders onto his biceps. Her breath catches a little when she feels the firm muscle, they aren’t large but they're still impressive.

While her tongue explores, her hands continue past his forearms. She grasps the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head, breaking their kiss. She lets out a little whimper as she runs her hands over his bare chest for the first time. His skin is on fire under her finger tips. He isn’t athletic, his tummy is a little on the soft side and yet Kim feels a fire ignite in her loins as she bends to continue kissing down his chest. In her eyes, he's absolutely perfect.

She pauses at each nipple, no teeth just a light flick of her tongue before moving on. She looks up through her lashes in time to see Chuck’s head fall back onto the couch as a small moan escapes through his open lips. His hands, which have been laying limply on Kim’s thighs, slide up her back and under her t-shirt. They moan in unison as his smooth hands make their way around to Kim’s breasts. They aren’t large but they fit perfectly in Chuck’s hands.

Despite how amazing it feels to finally have Chuck touching her bare skin, she's on a mission to make this man feel good. She wants to wipe away any remaining self-doubt he may have about himself. She wants him to know how much he deserves to be loved and cherished. She slides off his thighs and drops to her knees on the floor, nudging Chuck's knees apart and moves into the space.

Kim stretches over Chuck in order to pick up where she left off at his nipples. She runs her fingers through the small patch of chest hair before continuing her descend. She pulls up the hem of her shirt just enough so the only thing separating Kim’s abdomen and Chuck’s throbbing erection are his boxers. Chuck’s hands move up hesitantly and then drop down again onto Kim’s shoulders. She sits back slightly, looking up at him. She waits until he repeats his movement, this time he grasps the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head. Now it’s his turn to whimper as his hands ghost over the bare skin of her breasts and abdomen.

He pushes to a sitting position, cradles her head in his hands and kisses her, breathing heavily through his nose. Kim allows the distraction briefly before gently pushing him back onto the couch, he lets out a frustrated groan. She's a very determined woman when she's on a mission.

Kim hooks her index fingers under the waistband of Chuck’s boxers and tugs them down, freeing his throbbing, purple cock. He begins to shift a little under the scrutiny of Kim’s gaze. Leaning up again, she lays a kiss over each pelvic bone before pressing her palms downward to still his squirming. His movement resumes, only this time it isn’t from shyness, when Kim leans down and runs her tongue from the base of his shaft to the head, licking off the bitter precome. She swallows down past his head causing him to cry out. “Jes…” he starts but quickly finishes on a deep moan. She hums with gratitude that even in this state he's respectful of his language around her. The vibrations cause him to moan again, his hands coming up to comb through her hair. It isn’t long before Kim's able to work her way down his shaft, her hand sliding over the area she isn't able to cover with her lips.

Chuck’s breathing is coming out in short pants, his hands are gripping her shoulders and he tugs a little to let her know to stop. He meets her halfway as he pulls her into a kiss once more. He pulls back, brushing the hair out of her face. “I keep waiting to wake up from this dream. I still can’t believe you're real."

He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply, exhaling slowly. When he opens his eyes, she's still there, with a smile on her face. “I-I don’t want to do this out here. Would you mind if we move to my room? If you aren’t ready, I’m okay with whatever you-”

Kim gets to her feet, “Thought you’d never ask. Lead the way, good lookin,” she tells him.

He wastes no time pulling up his boxers, taking her hand and leading her to his closed bedroom door. The anticipation is beginning to build rapidly. Kim barely allows Chuck enough time to open the door before she latches onto his mouth again. He walks her backwards until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She falls back and scoots up towards the head of the bed.

Chuck drops his boxers before followingher onto the bed, falling into her open arms, settling his full weight between her open thighs. They both moan as the friction sends jolts of electricity to every nerve ending. Kim’s blunt fingernails dig at Chuck’s back as he sucks at her neck. “Chuck I can’t, I can’t wait anymore. “Fuck!” she cries in desperation. “I need to feel you in me, please!”

He moves up onto his knees to pull off Kim’s shorts. Now she's the one squirming as his eyes move over her naked body. Kim throws an arm over her eyes in an attempt to control herself. She's brought to the very edge when she feels his fingers trail over her wet lips, “Mmm,” he hums as his fingers continue up through her soft, neatly trimmed, pubic hair. The arm not currently covering her face grabs onto a fistful of the thin comforter covering the bed.

Kim moans in relief when she hears the tearing of a condom wrapper but she doesn’t remove her arm until Chuck’s weight is back where it belongs. Her arms move up behind his back, she can feel the head of his cock prodding at her open gate. Her back arches as he pushes in.

He remains buried to the hilt, not moving, allowing them both time to adjust. Both are hanging onto the ledge by their fingertips. Not able to wait anymore he slowly begins to move his hips. The warmth of her tight walls squeezing around him causes his pace to quicken. The room fills with the sounds of their moans and occasional oaths.

Their rhythm becomes erratic and Chuck’s words are choppy as he whispers into her ear, “Come with me.” That’s all it takes for their fingertips to finally let go of that ledge. They cry out each other’s name, all inhibition thrown aside.

Chuck buries his face in Kim’s neck as his breathing slows. “Holy Mother of,” Kim starts before cutting herself off. “You just surpassed every fucking fantasy I've had of you since the day you came shuffling though my door."

He lifts his head and his grin is so wide Kim can see his back teeth. His adorable crow’s feet branching out at the corners of his beautiful eyes. “You fantasized about me? Huh,” he says as he reaches down to pull off the condom which he promptly drops into, what Kim hopes is a wastebasket, on the floor.

Kim runs her fingers through his damp hair before moving them to his beard. She wonders if she'll ever tire of the feel of the bristles. “Every single day, sometimes several times a day. I'll add, there were many times you were wearing your reading glasses,” she says, her eyebrows bouncing up and down.

He shakes his head a little, “I’ve told you before, I’m not anyone special but you on the other hand. You're quite amazing. Kim I...”

She shifts her head allowing a better view of his face, “You what?”

“Nothing. Get under this blanket before you get cold.” He moves his body to the side and reaches up around her to pull a cover of the comforter down. She scoots over, allowing him to pull the cover free and drop it back on top of her.

She pouts as he gets up. “Where're you going?”

“No worries, I'll be right back.”

Up until this moment, the thought of walking in his own home without at least a pair of underwear on would have turned Chuck into complete puddle of anxiety; and yet here he is walking completely naked into his living room. He never gives one thought to the fact that his curtains are wide open and someone passing by may catch a glimpse of him. The only thought clouding his mind is the beautiful woman naked in his bed. He only has one goal and that's to take care of her. As he picks up her water bottle and his manuscript off the couch, he realizes without any ounce of fear, he wants the opportunity to take care of her for the rest of his life.

Back in the bedroom, Kim's nestled in Chuck’s bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. She sits up to accept the water Chuck offers her, drinking half of it down before crawling back under cover.

Kim feels giddy as Chuck slides in next to her, weaving his legs through hers and encircling her body in his arms. He kisses the back of her head and whispers, “Get some sleep."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've come to the end, my friend. There are a few things I would love to see play out in this story but they will have to wait for another day.

Chapter 8

Chuck’s eyes flutter open and he wonders if he is still dreaming. Kim is awake, laying on her back, arm tucked up under her pillow, reading. Chuck is baffled by the fact she had somehow managed to grab the manuscript off the table nearest him without waking him. Normally the slightest sound or movement starts his nervous brain right up. Chalk it up, he thinks, to further proof she is, in fact, home to him.

He studies her profile as she reads silently to herself. Her facial features reflect an entire gamut of emotions in the few pages he sees her flip past. Her reaction the previous night to his work was overwhelming. The level of her selfless support and affection is a completely new experience for him. Basking in her excitement makes him want to start the next book. Well, almost he thinks as her eyes flick his way. He would like to enjoy her company before heading down that road again.

“I hope I didn’t wake you. You looked so peaceful sleeping. It makes me think about little Chuck and how cute you had to have been".  She drops the pages and rolls to her side in order to kiss him.

“Pulling an all nighter to read this the first time wasn’t enough?” He asks as he picks up the bound computer pages.

“No way, buddy. On my second run through I am picking up little tid bits that I missed the first time through. Last night I couldn’t soak it up fast enough".

“Was there anything that stands out to you that needs work?”

“Well” she slowly “there was one thing but I don’t know if that’s really my place to say anything".

They both push up to a seated position and turn to face each other, legs crossed in front. A blush quickly rises from Chuck’s neck up to the tips of his ears. “I uh, I just realized we are both still naked.” 'Naked' sounds more like 'neck-ed' due to his wide grin. He sounds like a shy little guy getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar but still very proud as he manages to pull out a cookie.

Kim can’t help but laugh, “Is that a problem? I can retrieve my cloths out of the living room".

Chuck can’t answer fast enough. “No way! I just didn’t want you to get cold".

“Aren’t you the sweetest!” She takes his hand. “Hey Chuck?”

“Hey what?”

“Last night you called me your girlfriend".  She looks up, afraid to see panic in his eyes. Instead, she sees his pearly whites flash.

“You are, aren’t you? I mean, if I’m being honest you feel more than “just a girlfriend” to me".

“At our age, that word does feel a little lacking, doesn’t it?”

“Ok, so now that we have that established, I think it’s about time you share a few of the many notes you have written in the margins. Come on, I can take it when I know it stems from love".

Kim ignores the way her heart skips a beat at the word ‘love’. “There was one detail that doesn’t sit well with me.". He waits patiently so she plows ahead “Jensen’s car".

Chuck’s hands still. “What about it?” His face is completely void of all emotion and it makes Kim suddenly very nervous.

“I don’t really know all that much about cars so maybe what I think really shouldn’t matter. Forget I said anything".

“It matters very much to me and I don’t ever want to hear you say that again." He squeezes her hand to emphasize his point. Now please tell me what you think".

His serious tone makes Kim speak softly. “Ok, well as I said I don’t know a whole lot about cars and I think that a 1965 Mustang is a pretty tough looking car but….I just don’t know if…”

“If it fits Jensen’s personality” he finishes for her.

“Yes!” she cries.

“What would be a better fit?”

In place of an answer she gets up and returns with her messenger bag. She pulls out her phone, tossing the bag onto an armchair in the corner. She types and swipes before passing her phone to Chuck. He studies the image, once again making Kim nervous. She is caught completely off guard when she finds herself pinned to the bed, Chuck covering her face in kisses, much like she had done to him the night before. She loves every second of it so she makes no move to stop him.

When he comes up for air all he says is “Thank you” before kissing her full on the mouth.

“Well, damn” she says as he sits back up, pulling Kim with him.

“You don’t understand” he says “I agonized over that detail. I just couldn’t get it right. “But this” he cries picking up her phone again “this is IT. Jensen’s car, AKA, Baby is a 1967 Chevy Impala! What made you think of the Impala?”

“In one of my old neighborhoods I would on occasion see one slip through the streets and I remember thinking once ‘I bet there was a body in that trunk’. There were always sirens in that neighborhood so the chances of me being correct are probably pretty high. Anyway, I kept thinking about the weapon’s cache and how it would take up the entire trunk of a Mustang. Not only that but Mustangs are for show, Jensen doesn’t take care of his Baby because he wants to show her off. He takes care of her because he appreciates her beauty and her importance".

Chuck shivers. “It’s like you are in my head".

“Well in a way I am, by reading your words. I wish you would hear me when I tell you how incredibly talented you are". She lightly punches his thigh to emphasize her point.

All he does is shrug and move onto his next question. He is chewing on his thumb nail again. “What about the end, do you think it was too cheesy or cliché?”

Kim lets out a squawk as she grabs the book and flips to the end “There is no freaking way I’m letting you change that!” She clears her throat and begins to read. _Jared tosses the double barrel shot gun into the trunk of the_ Kim pauses to punctuate the new detail _Impala. His voice raw with tears unshed “We got work to do” he tells his older brother before slamming the hood of the trunk._

“You can’t change that. It leaves me wanting more! What about their Dad? Is he dead? What really killed Mom and Girlfriend? Will the boys ever heal from the obvious hurt they both feel?” Kim takes a deep breath. “Please tell me you already have some of those answers stored under that mop of hair I so love playing with!”

“I do” he tells her teasingly “but first I must make a request of you". He crawls over, pushing her onto her back. “I’m gonna need you to read every single one of my books out loud to me because that was the sexiest fucking thing I have ever been a part of". He lays his body over her, pressing his hard cock over her pubic mound.

Kim hisses through her teeth “I’ll read your high school term paper as long as you don’t make me wait for your, um writing tool. They both laugh over the absurdity of her comment as Chuck devours her mouth.

********

It’s Tuesday which means there is a poker game underway inside _Home For Misfits._ Dean, Ellen, Meg and Bobby are sitting in tonight. Chuck, Kim and Castiel are sitting at a table together. They have been inseparable for the last three days. They spent the majority of Sunday in Chuck’s bed, breaking only long enough to eat and shower.

On Monday Kim shared the news with Chuck that her and Dean had an accepted offer on the building next door. Chuck insisted on making Kim a celebratory dinner. She smiles now at the memory of how proud he was when he presented the one meal he knew how to make from scratch. As they enjoyed the roasted chicken, bacon wrapped asparagus and homemade biscuits he explained to Kim how one of his former foster moms had taught him how to make it one weekend. When dinner was over they resumed their lazy day of lounging on the couch together watching movies, talking and necking like teenagers.

Castiel and Chuck are deep in conversation regarding the topic of Cas’s summer school course. Kim hasn’t been able to take her eyes off of him. If there had been any doubt in her mind regarding her feelings for Chuck they certainly aren’t there any longer. Chuck glances at something behind her, leans in and says, “There is a tiny person about to attack you, do you need defending?”

Kim turns around and the squeal that erupts from her matches the squeal coming from a little girl with the brown, bouncing curly pigtails. Kim drops to her knees in order to scoop up the little three year old. “How is my favorite little muffin?”

The little girl has the most adorable little dimples Chuck has ever seen. Then again, he thinks to himself, this is the first time he has ever taken the time to give a child a second glance.

“Where are your mommy and daddy, Mary?” Kim’s face brightens again when two more people walk in the door. The tall man with the long hair is carrying a car seat. Everyone in the room stands for the new arrivals. The little girl wiggles out of Kim’s arms “Uncle Cassie!” she squeals. Cas bends down to pick up his niece and plants a big kiss on her cheek.

Kim stands by Chuck waiting while everyone exchanges hugs. She hugs the tall one then turns to Chuck “Baby, this is Sam, Dean’s younger brother. Sam this is Chuck".

The men shake hands as Chuck asks, “Did she say ‘younger’?”

Sam laughs “She did indeed. It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you". He turns to the woman with the beautiful curly brown hair, a spitting image of the little girl currently in Dean’s arms. “This is my wife, Briana.” True to Briana’s nature, Kim thinks, Bri ignores Chuck’s outstretched hand and moves in to hug Chuck first and then Kim.

Kim crouches down cooing at the carrier still clutched in Sam’s hand. “And this must be Johnny! I have been itching to see this little guy in person!” Sam sets the car seat on the table, unstraps him and promptly hands him over to Kim. Kim turns to Chuck, “And this handsome little devil is the newest Misfit family member, Johnny. He just turned 8 weeks old".

********

The poker game has wrapped up, Mary is asleep in Kim’s arms and Dean is walking everyone through the plans so far for the restaurant expansion. Briana comes over “I can take her if she is getting too heavy.”

Kim smiles and kisses the top of Mary’s head, breathing in the scent of watermelon shampoo. “Why do they have to grow up so fast?”

“You are not kidding about that.” Bri tucks a strand of hair behind Mary’s ear that has escaped its tie. “She sure loves her Aunt Kimmy.”

“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Aunt Kimmy” Chuck says hoarsely. He looks Kim in the eye “I know I do.”

Kim doesn’t protest when Briana takes the sleeping Mary out of her arms, a knowing smile is creeping across Bri’s face.

Chuck takes Kim’s hand and leads her to the back corner. They are standing next to the very table Chuck first sat at with his lap top weeks ago. He takes both of Kim’s hands and as he begins to speak his voice is strong and even toned. “I know we have only been together for a few months but I know without a doubt I am in love with you. I fell in love with you, I believe, sight on seen. I know I’m not the most stable of people and my self-deprecation can get to be a little much but I also know that when I’m with you I feel different. I feel empowered, like I can take on the world. Kim, I want to be able to take on the world with you by my side. I want to be here to see you expand this wonderful place you have built on love.” For the first time since speaking he stutters but only in the slightest. “I-I want that, with you.” He gestures to Sam, Briana and their little ones. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

Kim rushes forward into Chuck’s arms, kissing him deeply. “I love you too, Chuck Shurley. Will I have you? Just try and get away!”

He hugs her again as the room bursts into applause. Chuck laughs. “Being awkward is kind of my thing so I’m just going to push ahead. Did we kind of get engaged or what just happened here?” his voice raises an octave, causing Kim’s toes to curl. “I mean, that is my intent but, I didn’t actually ask you _the_ question and I don’t have a ring. I’m kind of acting a little unconventional here.”

Kim knows she should put the poor guy out of his misery but she is kind of enjoying how cute he is fumbling through his words. She takes Chucks hands in hers “I’m going to say, a loud and clear ‘yes’ to your unanswered question. I don’t need a ring, just write me the next book and finally, look around the room. Are any one of us conventional? That’s boring, Baby, we are proud Misfits.”

Chuck pulls Kim in for another kiss, excited to see what life has in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me until the end. I tried to out this story aside several times but it wouldn't leave me alone. I know it could use some work, I myself really want to see Dean and Cas get their baby better yet can you imagine Chuck as an expectant father??
> 
> Thank you tricia_16 for fixing my poor punctuation!
> 
> Look me up on twitter @lydrewsmom
> 
> Please, let me know what you thought! 
> 
> LTTU


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